Hopes, Dreams and Dust (Underfell AU)
by emeraldlazers
Summary: The events of the Underfell Alternate Universe, Asriel finds a human named Chara in the underground. Asriel has been taught that humans are the enemy and should be destroyed, and yet this human cannot even defend themselves. What will Asriel do?
1. Chapter 1 - Asriel

Asriel gripped the stone tightly. He wasn't prepared for this. How did this happen? Asriel stood behind an ancient pillar and watched the human in the center of the cave. The human lay unmoving on the cold, hard stone floor, illuminated by a dim light from the top of the high cavern.

Were they dead? The room was too dark to tell. Asriel would be able to see the human's soul if they were dead. Maybe, or maybe not; he wasn't clear on the details. Yet, something still needed to be done. Seven were needed…

Asriel unhooked the cylindrical container attached to the chain belt on his long black pants. It was made of glass with the lid and base made of some type of black metal. The container was standard issue to all monsters, and no bigger than a foot in length.

He put one hand on the top and bottom of the device. Both hands clamped down on the rim of the circular metal plates. Asriel twisted the plates and the device unlocked with a click. He just needed to go over, put the soul in the jar, and he would be done.

He started walking out from behind the pillar and toward the human, jar in hand. As he approached he started to notice more and more details. The human, albeit lying down, appeared to be as tall as Asriel; maybe a bit less, probably only a child.

Their hair was short and brown. Scrapes and bruises covered their creamy skin. They wore long, ripped brown pants and a tattered green and yellow shirt.

Asriel now stood over the human. They were not moving. Asriel turned his attention and fiddled with the jar, unsure as to how to proceed. He really should have paid attention more to inner-workings of souls. Then movement caught the corner of Asriel's eye.

The human was alive. They moved, rolling over to face Asriel. He instinctively raised his free hand, a small flame danced in his palm. The human, squinting through swollen red eyes, tried to look at the form now standing over them.

"Please… help…" The human rasped eventually. The royal scientist wasn't needed to see that the human was in no condition to defend them self. It was pathetic. Asriel stared blankly, genuinely not knowing how to react. Humans were supposed to be powerful, how did monsters loose to them in the first place? It didn't matter, the fact still remained that monsters were locked down in this godforsaken hole.

Humans are the enemy. They must be destroyed. Asriel focused and the small spark of a flame blossomed into a fireball larger the size of the human's puny head. The cave walls were bathed in orange. The human started to sweat; from either the heat of the fire, or the realization that their life was about to end, Asriel didn't know, or care.

"P-please don't…" The human whispered, "I… surrender." …Surrender? Immediate submission. How weak could a person possibly be? Asriel dropped his hand, the magical flame petered out. Through yellow and red eyes, Asriel looked down at the pathetic human with a look of contempt. They weren't even worth the effort. Besides, they could be dealt with later.

"Fine." Asriel spat. He directed his focus to locking the container when the human spoke again.

"What's… your name? I'm Chara." They said in voice that sounded like a dying animal. They were probably the type that would pester Asriel all day. He gave them the gift of mercy and yet it was appetent they needed a lesson in discipline. Asriel clipped the jar onto his chain belt and knelt down beside the human- Chara… or something.

He grabbed their arm with one hand, and with the other hand over Chara's arm, he snapped his fingers. Sparks flew down and landed on exposed skin. Instantly Chara pulled back, sucked in air sharply, and gripped their reddened arm.

"Listen to me," said Asriel in a commanding voice, "If you must know, my name is Asriel Dreemurr. I'm not going to kill you, but I'm not being nice. Since you surrendered, I…" Asriel looked off, trying to find the right word, "…I own you now; you are my prisoner. Now don't talk unless I tell you to." The speech sounded serviceably intimidating, but then again, a flower could probably scare this sorry excuse for a human.

"I'm sorry," Chara said quivering, "I didn't-"Asriel leaned in closer and held his fingers as if he was going to snap them again. Whatever Chara was going to say was stopped. It appeared Chara wasn't too stupid.

Asriel took of his chain belt. Chara tensed up, eyes wide. What did they think he was going to do? He didn't wear the chain because he his pants were a size too big. He thought it made him look more powerful; in a hardened, no-nonsense sort of way. Yet he knew what would make him look even better.

Asriel tossed the container off to the side. He didn't need it anyway. He took the chain and wrapped it around Chara's neck. Not too tight. He didn't want to hurt the precious itty-bitty human. Chara knew better than to resist, in fact upon seeing the chain's use, the small human looked almost… relieved? Again, humans make absolutely no sense.

There was enough slack for Asriel to get a good grip on his new prisoner. He could see it now. He would be known as a monster so powerful that he owned his own human. Dad would be so proud… dad.

The sense of Accomplishment faded swiftly into concern. His grip on the chain tightened. His parents were going to be a problem.

"Come on." Asriel said pulling gently on the Chain. Chara struggled a bit but didn't get up.

"I said come on!" Asriel said, quickly loosing patience.

"Wait." Chara sputtered through audible breathing. "I… I can't move. It hurts." Asriel pinched the fur between his eyes and exhaled loudly.

"Fine," Said Asriel. He knelt down next to Chara and flung their nearest arm over his shoulder. With his left arm holding Chara's, and his right still holding the chain, he used his knees and bolted up.

His knees buckled, almost falling over. Dear god, humans are heavy. This whole thing was going to be a disaster. Was it too late to go back on the killing part?

Asriel, doing the work of what felt like four or five competent monsters all put together, dragged Chara out of the cave. The River Person would be arriving soon at the usual place. It was time to go home. At least it sucked more for Chara then it did for him… probably.

* * *

Asriel felt like all the air in the underground had left his mouth after he let go. Chara was finally in the boat. Asriel had his hands on his knees to prevent himself from falling over. He tried to catch his breath. Sweat bathed his coat of fur.

"Oh, hello," A familiar smooth and silky voice said, "It's nice to meet you." It was the River Person. It stood at the bow of the canoe-like boat. Its' entire form was that of a dark blue cloak. An opening in its' hood showed an unnatural void of darkness that seemed to stretch on into another world.

The sounds of gently flowing water echoed down the narrow corridor. The river was barely wider than the already small boat. One could even hardly call it a river. Asriel climbed into the boat.

Realizing he let go of the chain, he quickly fished around the wooden floor of the boat until he had it in his hands. Chara made no move to escape. Their injuries probably crippled them. They were not as paralyzed as Asriel after he carried them for what felt like eternity, that's for sure.

"Say, have we met before?" said the River Person. Out of all the strange monsters in the underground, this being was the most perplexing. Asriel saw them often, sometimes multiple times a day, yet the River Person never remembered him. Still, its' service was extremely useful.

"Just take me to the King's Castle." Asriel said through now steadied breathing. Without hesitation they boat started to move through the dark, watery corridor.

"Tra la la, we are off," Said the River Person. It would be a while before the trio reached his parent's home. Now it was time to think. How could Asriel keep Chara alive with the whole "humans are the enemy to monster kind and should be killed on sight" thing?

Asriel concentrated. If he just showed up with a human, Chara was probably toast. Literally; his parents were the best at fire magic. What if he could hide them? He would have to sneak them through the entire castle, not being seen by a single guard. Then his parents would wonder why Asriel never let them into his room. Also, from every meal of ever day, he would be seen carrying an extra plate of food so Chara wouldn't starve. It would be seen a bit suspicious.

What else could he do? His mind drew a blank. He only had come up with only two options, both of them not great and- wait. Asriel felt a pressure; it pulled him out of his thoughts. Chara was leaning on his shoulder. Asriel quickly scrambled and forcefully pushed Chara away. They almost fell off the boat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Asriel growled, "I'm not your pillow!" His eyes drilled deep into Chara's. What were they thinking? Did they not know who he was? Well, actually, they probably didn't come to think of it. Humans are stupid.

"S… sorry." Chara whimpered, "I didn't…" they trailed off; head down, mouth shut.

"I am the prince of all monsters," Asriel began in a frustrated tone. "My parents are the king and queen. You know, the rulers of the race you people locked down here for all eternity. Don't test my patients human, I'm trying to think of plan to keep you from dying, okay?" He wanted to add in more about how lucky Chara was to be in his good graces, but he didn't bother.

* * *

Asriel and Chara were approaching the throne room and he had no plan whatsoever. Chara had regained the ability to walk without assistance at this point. However they were slow, even with Asriel's occasional tug on the chain. Their eyes were a lot less red and swollen, probably able to see a bit better. Guards turned to stare, but said or did nothing. They probably assumed Asriel knew what he was doing. Not so much as it turned out.

There was no hiding Chara now. All that was left was a face off. Head to head with the king of the Monster race. A battle of wills. The stakes were the life of a child. Some may even consider it a noble- Asriel almost ran into his father.

Asriel, through a daydream had entered the throne room. How long had he been walking? The moderately sized room was circular, with a domed roof. A bright chandelier lit the room. The stone gray walls had paintings with images of the Royal family's ancestors. The floor was tiled with checkered black and red squares. Two grandiose thrones sat at the back of the room, a dark passageway between them. In the center, standing right in front of Asriel, were his parents: Asgore and Toriel, the king and queen of all monsters.

Whatever they were talking about took a back seat as they turned to look at Asriel and his prisoner. Immediately upon seeing Chara, Asgore's expression turned to one of grave seriousness. He out stretched a hand to one side, a red trident blossomed into existence in a vortex of fire.

"Wait!" Asriel shouted, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. He was not prepared for this in the slightest. "Listen to me!" Thankfully, Asgore halted. He held his fiery trident back behind his head, so close to throwing it straight for Chara's face.

"Father, I found this human on the brink of death. They surrendered to me. I am the keeper of their life and what happens to them is my choice! Do not kill them!" It was all Asriel could do to maintain the demanding tone. He was standing up to his father; technically committing an act of treason.

It was probably the most difficult thing Asriel ever had to do up to that point. His father's glare cut deep. Asriel barely managed to meet the intense gaze. His grip on the chain that was wrapped around his prisoner tightened. The room was completely silent; the only sound was Chara's shivering breathing. They too understood the situation it seemed.

The silence only served to make the stare down more unbearable. Out of the corner of Asriel's eye, he could see his mother's normally ever-present smile had also dissipated, adding another level of uneasiness to the situation. Asriel could not show submission, not now.

Asriel knew his father well. Any sign of weakness would be taken advantage of. If Asriel looked away, even for a second, Asgore would crush Chara in an instant. After all, they were a still the enemy.

The moment seemed to last forever until Chara broke the silence. "Asriel...I-" Asriel, without breaking eye contact, yanked hard on the chain around Chara's neck. They fell to the floor, gasping for air, but Asriel's foot slammed their head into the hard tiled floor. Chara's muffled wails of pain filled the silent void somewhat.

In this moment, Asriel showed his complete dominance over of his captive. Chara belonged to him and him alone. Nobody else could decide what Chara could and could not do. A wave of confidence enveloped Asriel as they stared back at their father with a smug display.

"Very well, Asriel," His father's deep voice bellowed, "The human may live. However, they are you're responsibility." There was a pause before Asgore added, "And do not forget the law of the land."

"I haven't forgotten," replied Asriel, "It's kill or be killed, right?"

Asgore nodded, then walked past Asriel, and moved through the main entrance of the throne room. Asriel felt much more relieved than he expected. He turned to look at his mother, Toriel. She was staring intently at Chara, who was still crying under Asriel's boot.

Toriel looked back at Asriel, the smile on her face returning. "I'm proud of you my child," She said.

"Thanks." Was all Asriel could respond with. Toriel turned and walked away to join Asgore. Asriel moved their foot from Chara's head. They could live for now, but ultimately; the decision was actually Asgore's. He was still objectively stronger than Asriel and that was a fact.

"Asriel?" Chara's weak voice said. As a response, Asriel stomped the ground once. Chara got the message.

"Come on," Asriel said, "Let's go." Asriel dragged Chara off to his room. The dungeons would be too much for the weakling. Asriel needed to find a proper kennel for Chara in time, until then they were to sleep on the floor, chained to a desk or something. the encounter had left Asriel drained. They had both survived and needed rest.

* * *

Authors Note: For earlier updates on future chapters, follow me *At* emeraldlazers on tumblr.


	2. Chapter 2 - Toriel

The screeching whistle pulled Toriel from her thoughts. She calmly got up and pushed through the pain in her side to go over to the kitchen. She poured hot water from the kettle into the teapot and was about to add the teabag when a thought crossed her mind.

She had it in her hands. It was insignificant really, hardly worth the trip. Yet Toriel felt like the small yellow flower held some importance. Maybe, If she just waited long enough then the answer would come to her.

She had visited the place Asriel told her about. The room where the human named Chara fell. In truth, she did not know why she decided to go there. Was it out of nostalgia for the ruins of the old capital of the monsters? Was it for something else? She just knew that this was important for something. Or, maybe not, and this was a waste of time. She did tend to just travel places aimlessly to think, she does that a lot.

She found the flower sticking out of a crack in the floor of the ruins. Maybe this was the purpose the whole time. To be used for tea. Probably not the best use of an entire day to create a single cup of tea, especially when she had important royal business to attend to, but it was too late to change things now.

While the kettle cooled down to a more reasonable temperature, Toriel went and did a few things. She carefully plucked the petals off the flower and set them aside on the counter. Then she took what was left, walked a short distance through castle to its' indoor garden, ground the remains of the flower up, and put them in a patch of dirt. If the tea turned out to be good, she could have more for later.

As it turned out, the tea tasted like hot water and grass. It had, in fact, turned out to be total and complete waste of time. Unable to shake the feeling of defeat, Toriel just sat back in her chair by the darkened fireplace. With the point of a finger, it welled to life, giving off a warming glow.

She was about to start reading a book she got from the one of the very rare libraries in the underground when she was interrupted. The door down the hall opened and her son, Asriel, stomped in. He wore an expression Toriel knew well. The one where he tries really hard not to look angry.

Toriel's expression darkened ever so slightly when she saw that Asriel was accompanied by the human. They wore one of Asriel's red and black sweaters, but more noticeably, there was a nasty bruise was set on their cheek. Chara kept their head down, but it was easy to tell they looked miserable.

"Hey mom," Said Asriel through clenched teeth as he marched over to Toriel. "I need you to watch Chara for me." He put the end chain in her lap. Chara now stood right next to her. "They're useless, now I have to go clean up after them," Asriel snarled before he turned around and headed for the foor.

"My child, what are you-" but Toriel was interrupted as Asriel had already slammed the door behind him. He didn't even ask if this was okay, or give the courtesy of a proper explanation. Maybe he could get away with this sort of behavior with Asgore but it was something she did not care for.

Chara was silent, shaking a little bit, trying to avoid eye contact. It probably didn't help that Toriel was staring. Toriel tried to move her hand for the chain, but she found she could not.

Her arm felt heavy, like a weight was strapped to it. She noticed her head seemed to be stuck to the cushion behind her. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. Why was this happening? She hadn't felt this way before she... the taste of grass in her mouth was terrible.

She was fairly confident Chara didn't pose a threat to her. However, she couldn't allow herself to be sure. This unknown sickness made her very slow, defending herself may prove difficult. She concentrated on her magic, and the fireplace burned subtly brighter.

That was the intent. She could still control her magic, but the insignificant task took more effort than it should have. She had to make sure Chara didn't threaten her while also maintaining the guise that she was not weakened in any way. Humans needed to be handled with extreme caution, even children. So she did what any sensible person would do: strike up a friendly conversation.

"Sorry dear, it's rude of me to stare. Would you like to sit down?" She offered.

"Sure," said Chara weakly. They still looked nervous.

"There's a chair over there, go ahead and get it." Toriel turned her head to a wooden chair by the table in the middle of the room. Chara, following her gaze, slowly started to walk. Emphasis on slowly, they barely moved at first until it was clear Toriel wouldn't grab the chain to stop them. More accurately, couldn't.

As Chara walked, she noted every detail of their movement. There was a very slight limp in their left leg. They either had recent damage to their legs, or they were from old injuries. Impeded speed and ability to dodge.

They carefully placed a wooden chair next to Toriel's and sat down. They tried to hand Toriel the end of the chain. This could be real obedience, but it could also be an act.

"No thank you dear, I trust you," Toriel said. Chara looked only slightly less nervous, still keeping their eyes trained on the floor. "Would you like a glass of water dear?"

"Y-yes please," they stammered. Toriel needed a second to process the word. 'Please' was a very uncommon thing to hear. She didn't let the politeness cloud her judgement.

"There's a glass in kitchen cabinet, above the knife rack. Water runs from the faucet." Chara finally looked into her eyes and gave a ghost of a smile. They must have thought she was being nice.

"Thank you," they said. Another word that made Toriel pause, but only for a moment. They shakily stood up and slowly made their way into the kitchen. The test had begun.

As soon as Chara came back into view, Toriel's eyes scanned the human intently. They held a glass of water in one hand, the other was not concealed. Their pants pockets had no jagged edges to them. They were approaching. Toriel checked the bottom of their sweater, near the hemming, it rippled unimpeded.

"Please sit." Toriel offered. Now for the back pocket. Toriel had a fire spell brewing in the back of her head. Chara sat down without hesitation. The kitchen knives were too big to fit in their shoes. It seemed the coast was clear. She let the mental incantation fade.

There was a long silence. Chara still refused to look at Toriel. They sipped some water and winced a tad. They gently rubbed the bruise on their cheek as if it would help.

"Are you hurt? How has Asriel been treating you?" asked Toriel. They said nothing. "Did he hurt you?"

"...I," they began hesitantly, "Don't really want to talk about it."

A part of her was disgusted with herself. It was obvious that this weak, hurt child was nothing but that: a weak, hurt child. Chara didn't like how her own son was treating them. Chara was miserable, and she was assuming everything they said could be a lie. Toriel the Mother would hate to see her own child in pain.

But the Toriel the Queen couldn't be sure. Humans could be very good at hiding their true selves. She knew that better than anyone. Even Asgore appeared to have forgotten. He didn't have the painful trophy that she did. For the sake of her, her family, and even monsters as a whole, she had to keep planning; keep feeding false information to a potential enemy.

It's a shame, Toriel would probably would have liked Chara if they were a monster. They were one of the only people who actually used the words "please" and "thank you" in normal sentences. She wouldn't have to be so weary of a sad and vulnerable monster child.

The reality is that Chara was a human. Even the very sight of Chara was painful; the constant dull ache in Toriel's side felt a bit sharper every time she looked at the human child. Old memories circled through her head over and over again.

It was a long time ago, before monsters were forced underground. An army of monsters were approaching the gates of the Human Capital. At the very back line of the formation, Toriel and Asgore themselves marched alongside the forces. Up to that point the war had not gone well. This relatively small army of fighters was the last of the dwindling monster army, and few towns and cities remained.

The humans had shown a lack of forces protecting the southern mountain pass to their capital. The main human forces were far to the east. It was a last ditch effort to take the human capital by surprise.

The day was cold and overcast. The massive walls of the city stood within reach of the monster Army. Just then a volley of arrows blacked out the sky. The humans knew the monsters were coming. Back then, she was foolish, she thought it shouldn't have mattered. The King and Queen had taken the bait.

Without saying a word Toriel and Asgore both combined their immense strength and summoned their fiery magic. The entire sky was ablaze in hot orange and yellow. The raise in moral from the army as a result from the grand spectacle was palpable. When the flames faded, all the arrows that covered the sky were gone, completely erased by the King and Queen.

Another volley of arrows shot through the sky and again the Royalty wiped them out. The army was getting close to walls, ready to use ladders and hooks to ascend and take control of the city's' outer defenses. When the third wave of arrows came, something happened.

The wind immediately picked up. It was like a hurricane had suddenly come into existence. The protective flames sputtered and blew away, leaving holes in aerial defense. A few arrows manage to get through, striking down monsters at random. The King and Queen now had to strain to keep the shield of fire intact, yet still it had many holes.

They let the flames die down, preparing themselves for the next volley. The wind continued to blow. The sky was getting darker. Water was trickling from the sky. Lights flashed and thunder boomed. The change in weather was so fast, it was almost… unnatural.

Light seared Toriel's eyes as a huge bolt of lightning cut through the army. The boom was deafening. When the spots in Toriel's vision faded, she saw a huge chunk of the arm had been reduced to dust and empty suits of armor. The remains were swept up in the powerful wind. She looked up at the walls and saw a figure that would forever be burned into her memory.

Even though they were far away, she saw a human wearing a cloak, covered in crackling arcs of lightning. Toriel made out a movement of some sort from the human and another explosion of blinding light and deafening crash cut into the remaining monsters. Up until then, she thought that humans wielding magic was a myth, and she was so very wrong.

The monsters hadn't even reached the walls of the city and it was obvious the battle was lost. The army was starting to lose cohesion and scatter. A flurry of cries of panic, sounds of rushing wind, and thundering booms overtook Asgore's commands at a uniformed retreat.

They turned and began to follow the fleeing monsters when she spotted a massive army of humans funneling through the southern pass, blocking off the exit. To this day she cursed herself for not seeing this coming. The realization at that moment made her so distracted, she couldn't even see the next wave of arrows.

Something sharp pierced deep into Toriel's side as more waves of monsters fell to the ground. She fell to the floor, clutching her side that now had a long slender piece of wood sticking out of it. The area began to break down forming an agonizing divot in her form. The area turned a soft gray, painfully fell away and scattering to the wind. It would never fully heal. She took one last look at the one who almost single-handedly destroyed an army and the monster race's last chance of winning the war.

She had to beg. Beg to the humans to spare her, her husband, and the few survivors of the monster race. She had to surrender everything. Not just her freedom, but the hopes and dreams of all the monsters that served her. It was the day the world learned...

Maybe Asriel could be trusted to hold control over Chara, but Toriel couldn't forget. To her, that day is the definition of 'humanity'. Every time Toriel looked upon Chara she automatically thought the same thing; it would be better if they never existed.

* * *

Authors Note: For earlier updates on future chapters, follow me *At* emeraldlazers on tumblr.


	3. Chapter 3 - Chara

Chara could hear the front door slam shut, they knew what that meant. They took a moment to look around the room before the last moments of silence ended. They were wearing a somewhat raggedy black and red striped sweater that Asriel gave, or more accurately, threw at them. Asriel had left to do something for the day, leaving Chara's neck chained to the closet dresser that they were sitting against. They sat on the carpet, the door was directly ahead at the other end of the room, Asriel's bed was near their left. They would have rested on it, but it was out of their reach due to the short chain.

The stomping sound from down the hall was getting louder. The door burst open and Asriel stormed in. He quickly walked over to his bed and sat down. The sheets were crumpled in his grip, his teeth clenched.

"Are you okay?" Chara asked in their normal meek tone. Asriel was too worked up to give a scolding about breaking the speech rule. He didn't enforce it much anyway as Chara barely had anything to say in the first place.

"Okay, so I went to Waterfall today…" Asriel started, speaking quickly, looking as if he was going to explode. Had started his rant without the intention of stopping without any time soon.

Chara tried as hard as they could to follow. He was speaking incoherently, and without providing context, as if he was only talking to himself about things he already knew. What Chara understood was that Asriel went to do sword training with someone named Gerson. This old monster was being boring and patronizing the whole time, constantly criticizing Asriel on the things he did. Chara wondered how much of this was true and how much was exaggeration. It couldn't have been that bad, but Asriel was… Asriel.

"It was so annoying, I felt like ripping out every bit of my fur after it was over," Asriel concluded with, letting himself crash onto his soft bed. After about a minute, he sat up, and his gaze wandered aimlessly around the room in thought before it eventually landed on Chara. His expression turned to one of curious surprise. Chara couldn't help feel a slight chill run down their spine instinctively. Did they do something wrong?

"Are you feeling better?" Chara asked quietly. Asriel just stared back, not moving.

"Uh… y-yes actually," said Asriel, just managing to find the words. "Oh, it's been awhile, do you need anything?" There was no sarcasm in his voice, the genuine concern was almost uncanny. It was something Chara would like to get used to.

"I haven't had much to drink. Could I have some water please?"

"Yeah."

A few minutes later, he came back with a glass of water. Bewilderment was still visible on his face.

"Are you okay?" They asked as they took the glass.

"What, oh yeah… it's just a bit weird. Usually when I talk to someone, they tend to just not listen. Then they speak and you start to not listen and..." He didn't need to finish the thought.

"Oh." Chara said. They understood. Their gaze fell to the floor. They understood exactly.

"It's just how things work around here. But I'm not saying I like talking anyway, especially to a dirty human." He said playfully, even though it looked like he wanted to be serious. Chara looked up again.

This was nice. Seeing Asriel like this was a rarity. Maybe he would stop with… no, it would end the same way as always. However, for now, Chara just wanted to enjoy the tranquility.

Chara started to drink their water, but almost spilled it when they quickly had to move out of the way. Asriel had gotten up, went over to the closet and opened it. Curiosity took hold of Chara and they peeked Inside to see a large, black bundle of cloth with many strange jagged edges. Asriel grabbed at it, there was a sound of jostling metal as he pulled the heavy load into the center of the room.

Asriel unrolled the bundle and looked out onto a pile of bits of metal, wires, and strips of leather. Chara scooted up to sit by Asriel's right. He immediately went to work; separating similar parts into general piles on the four corners of the cloth. He grabbed a tool with a round wooden handle and small curved blade.

He took a strip of leather and wrapped it around his arm. He cut a bit off with the knife, wrapped it again, and kept this up until it fit perfectly around his arm. He put the knife down on the floor to his right. Chara picked it up assuming Asriel wanted them to hold it.

"This is that important stuff?" Chara asked, remembering Asriel's words from yesterday.

"Yeah," said Asriel as he threaded the leather strip through a metal buckle.

"What exactly is it?"

"Okay, so you know armor right?" He started, a light flickering on in his eyes.

"Yes," Chara said, smiling slightly at Asriel's uncharacteristic giddiness.

"I had this Idea. Normal armor is really bulky and heavy and it slows people down too much. I had this Idea for something that was like armor but weighs a lot less."

"How does it work?" They asked genuinely. Well, as genuinely as their conditioned quiet and melancholy voice could sound.

"There is a lot less plating; It's more like a wire-frame that you wear. It can't block hits as well, but it's not flimsy, and more importantly, you can move a lot faster. What do you think?" He said excitedly.

"I don't really know a lot about armor, but it sounds like it could work."

"Yeah," Asriel's smile faded, "but everyone else I talk to about it just brushes me off. I really hate it… but when I get it to work, I'll show them!" he said, his mood returning. Chara watched him turn and began to work meticulously, putting a couple small metal tubes together to form a miniature fence-like structure. He hit it against the floor a few times, each thunk sounding louder than the last. It didn't break or even bend. Asriel's grin grew a bit wider.

The room fell back into silence. Maybe today would be bit better? They leaned against Asriel, very lightly at first. Asriel tensed up immediately, then Chara could feel his muscles relax. Chara added a bit more pressure. Him and his sweater were very soft and cozy, like a big pillow. Even though the chain was irritating, their tired eyelids started to droop. Maybe it was possible that...

"Hey Chara," he began slowly, straight-faced.

"Yeah?" Chara said, jolting back a bit harder than they intended,

"Why… exactly did you climb the mountain? Isn't there a legend that says all people who climb the mountain disappear or something?"

Chara looked away, tapping their fingers together. Why did he have to bring this up of all things? Asriel's patience did not last very long. They needed to say something.

"I…" they began, "Didn't really… I wasn't very happy." There was a long silence. Chara desperately hoped that was enough and he would drop the subject.

"Why… was that?" Asriel prodded. Chara pulled their legs as haunting images slipped through their mind. Broken bones, screaming to deaf ears, meaningless apologies, resentment… repeat.

"I don't really wanna talk about it." They realized how dry their throat was.

"Oh come on, please?" he pushed a bit further. Chara's gaze lowered to the floor.

"Some people… were hurting me," they said, awkwardly crossing their legs. "I wanted it to stop." Chara looked up at Asriel, his gaze was fixed on the still visible bruise on their cheek. Was it possible he was feeling bad about the things he does?

"Do you want me to stop asking?" He said with something resembling empathy. Asriel, the Asriel that didn't hurt them, could be reached.

"Please."

"Alright." He finally concluded. Chara let out a quiet sigh of relief. They picked up the glass of water and downed it one go, setting the empty glass down on the floor. Asriel set to work for a while; fiddling with wires and bits of metal. Chara sat in comfortable silence. They could just let the world go by. Asriel was a good person, Chara just needed to convince him, and they were certain they had. Even though things were a bit rocky at first, coming to the underground was the right choice.

"Hey, um… do you want some more?" Asriel said, pointing to the glass.

"Um, Asriel, actually could I ask you another favor? Please?" They were looking at Asriel again, a real smile was on their face. This was it. The day things officially changed.

"... Sure. What is it?"

"Could you take this chain off please?" His smile faded. He wasn't looking at Chara's eyes, he was scanning their body until his eyes stopped at their hands. His eyes narrowed to slits. He slammed his fist on the floor, Chara jolted back a bit.

"So that's what this is?" Asriel said with venom in his words.

"I… I… wha-" Chara sputtered, shaking.

"This is just part of your plan!" Asriel stood up and towered over Chara.

"No, no, I- I'm" They were on their back, trembling.

"You're not being nice. You just wanted to get on my good side so you can escape!" It made no sense, yet it felt horrifyingly familiar.

"Asriel-" Chara was grabbed by the shirt and yanked to their feet.

"I know a lot about humans. I know that they try and trick others! You want me to lower my guard so you can kill me!"

"I d-don't know what your talking about!"

"Then what's this?" Asriel said as he grabbed Chara's arm. The leather knife in hand.

"I thought you wanted me to hold if for you." Chara was barely able to get the words out.

"If I want you to do something. I tell you to do it remember? To think I almost lowered my guard because I felt bad for a human!" he said with disgust. This always happens, people rationalize and justify.

"I'm sorry, please-" Asriel kicked them in the stomach. Their head landed hard on the closet door behind them. They struggled to keep standing. They couldn't breathe; it felt like all the air had been sucked out of their lungs.

Chara caught a glimpse of Asriel raising one of his hands. This palm glowed with flames. Something inside Chara snapped. If the slightest gesture of kindness makes them forget, then it won't end. Things don't just change, not for them. They've had Enough.

Chara whipped their leg up and snapped Asriel in the stomach. Caught off guard, he pitched forward, the light in his hand died out. Chara grabbed the chain, gaining as much slack as they could, and circled it around Asriel's neck. They used every ounce of muscle and pulled. Asriel's gaze met Chara's; all the fury in his eyes gone, replaced only with wide-eyed horror.

Asriel's arms flailed about, trying to grab the chain to pull himself free. Chara raised their leg, and pushed down on his chest, making the chain sink deeper into his neck.

"You're no different!" Chara screamed wildly. Asriel kept flailing, he could have used fire, but it was obvious he wasn't thinking. It was so different yet Chara could see the same event happening to them in their memories. Their hands began to tremble.

Chara felt their grip loosen slightly. They were trying to hold on, but their fingers felt like they were prying themselves away from the chain. It never ends. They just wanted it all to stop. No more… no more.

If Chara let go then they would be hurt more then they had before. There would be no mercy for what they were doing. Asriel couldn't be their friend, that's just not how the world worked. Yet something pushed to let Asriel go.

Chara let the chain go slack. Asriel fell to the floor, gasping and coughing for air.  
Chara slid back along the dresser to the floor. Whatever they had in them had left, leaving them feeling hollow and drained. If they survived the inevitable punishment, they would be lucky to be alive, but probably wish they were dead.

"Just... get it over with." They said before they buried their head in the sleeve of their sweater. Soon they would feel the searing pain of being burned. Or hands would take them away to be beaten over and over again. Maybe a rope would hold them down as… Either way, it didn't matter. Chara just sat and waited.

They heard Asriel's breath steady. He wasn't saying anything. It was coming. But the seconds dragged out into long, painful minutes. Chara eventually looked up.

Asriel was sitting, his back against the door. He was staring with a gaping mouth. His eyes were wide, but unfocused. It was so quiet, Chara could hear him taking quivering, shallow breaths. Chara put their head back down. They wanted to soak in the last moments of tranquility.

Then there were footsteps on the rug. Hands grabbed Chara around the neck. Here it is. The chain jostled loosely around their neck. A pressure slipped away as the chain clanked to the floor.

Chara looked up. Asriel was looking at them, it was hard to read his face, but it was apparent he was hiding something. Asriel sat down, his eyes were on the floor now.

"You, um…" Asriel finally said, "...thanks, for not… you know..." There was a long pause, Chara could feel the discomfort emanating from Asriel. "I'm not going to do anything to you... That was the last time, honest."

"Okay." Said Chara quietly. He said he would stop hurting them. Another thing to give them hope. Hope that they would finally be free of the cycle. Warm hope that circled through them before fading as cold fact consumed it all. The fact: the one they wanted to forget but cursed themselves every time they did. Every time was the last time.

* * *

Authors Note: For earlier updates on future chapters, follow me *At* emeraldlazers on tumblr.


	4. Chapter 4 - Asriel

He couldn't get the image out of his mind. Asriel chose to sleep on his mother's soft reclining chair by the darkened fireplace tonight. He let Chara use his bed. His mind didn't allow him to rest anyway; the recent events took up too much of his mind. The image that stood out, painted on the back of his eyelids, was Chara's hateful eyes staring into his very soul.

Then there were the words Chara spoke, _Some people were hurting me… you're no different._ So what did I matter what Chara felt about him? Asriel was supposed to be the uncaring warden of a prisoner. However those words deeply unsettled him for reasons he couldn't say. He just didn't like it.

Chara's hidden strength was astounding. They stopped the chain just short of cutting straight through his neck. That's what it felt like at least. The area was still tender and raw, even through his coat of fur. Asriel's breathing was a bit laboured, even now. He could have been killed then and there without so much as a whimper, but Chara let him go.

Perhaps it was Asriel's fault. He was being harsh all the time just because… well, he supposed it was to show his strength. That was the only thing that mattered in the society he lived in. His parents couldn't protect him from everything, he needed to show he was capable on his own. However, it was clear that when it came to Chara, he needed to stop... just so he didn't get himself killed...

His eyes slowly opened. He didn't remember going to sleep. Out of habit, he surveyed his surroundings for danger. The only threatening thing was that the lights were not on.

He got up and rubbed his eyes, still trying to wake himself up. Something in the corner of his eye that caught his attention. The living room was very dark. However he thought he saw something pressed against the wall of the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

He slowly and quietly moved so he could get a better look. Chara flinched when he caught sight of them. They kept a hand on the wall, as if to keep themselves from falling over. They looked tense and stood frozen in place. _Odd._

"Breakfast?" Asriel offered cautiously, not knowing what to expect. Chara didn't say anything, just noded slightly. Asriel motioned to the table near the wall opposite the fireplace. However, neither he, nor Chara moved an inch. That was until he saw a door open down the hall. A stream of dim light slipped out, illuminating that end of the hallway. Asriel's parents were up. "Come on," he prompted.

Asriel sat down first before Chara slowly sauntered over. The two of them would always sit next to each other during meals, primarily because the chain was too short for anything else. This time, Chara sat on the opposite end of the table, at the the seat furthest away from Asriel. The two sat in complete silence until Asriel's mother, Toriel, came into view. Asriel quickly remembered an important detail, and bunched up his sweater around his neck, in case any marks were visible.

Asriel noted the pause made by his mother when she saw Chara. It was obvious his mother had some issue with the small human. Her hesitation was only for a second at most before she came a bit closer.

"Hello my child," she said, mostly to Asriel, "How are you today?"

"Fine," said Asriel, straight-faced.

"What would you two like to eat?"

"Cereal."

"And you, Chara?"

"... could I just have a glass of milk, please?" Chara said, looking as if speaking was the last thing they wanted to do. Toirel looked back and forth between Asriel and Chara.

"Not very talkative today are we?" she said before she turned and headed to the kitchen. ' _Not very talkative_ ' seemed to be the theme of the entire morning. Asgore joined the table some time later without saying a word, and no one spoke for the entire meal.

Asriel didn't feel like bringing up the normal topics to his father, like asking him how his duties as king were going, or if he wanted to help Asriel hone his skills with some one-on-one sparring practice. His parents didn't even talk about political stuff. The same stuff that usually drove Asriel crazy, but he kinda wanted to hear it now. The silence was killing him.

Eventually, Asgore got up to leave. He walked liked he had a ton of bricks attached to his back. He must be tired, probably from his unending duties as, ya know, king. Down the hall, Asriel could hear the guard who always greeted his father in the morning. Then the sound of the door shutting echoed through the house.

The whole thing was so painful. Still Chara, his mother and himself sat in yet more stilted silence. He eventually accepted the awkwardness and began to think; his mind drifting once again to the subject of Chara. Asriel said he wouldn't try and hurt them. He was even thinking about acting a bit nicer. He would keep to his word, he would.

Yet Asriel felt that things were going to be different, even after the change he made. For some reason, Chara seemed more closed off than before. He remembered the sensation of Chara leaning against him while he worked. This wasn't something he would admit to anyone, but he kind of wanted it again. Kind of, nothing too fluffy or anything.

Maybe if he and them got along better, the buzzing sensation in the back of his skull would go away. What could he do? He left Chara alone a lot, maybe the two of them could visit some place? But where… then it came to him. Waterfall. Chara was from the surface, Asriel was meaning to interrogate- ask them about what real stars looked like for some time. They could compare by going to Waterfall.

"Hey Chara," said Asriel semi-cheerfully, "I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" they said, their expression impassive.

"I know this place. It's kinda far away but it's pretty cool. It's a place where people go to see stars, or at least the closest thing monsters have. It's called 'Waterfall,' wanna go there?" Not many monsters went there these days, so it would be easy to avoid getting hassled by other monsters.

"...If I go with you," they began slowly, "will you stay back?" Asriel blinked a couple times. This was not the answer he was expecting.

"I… what do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Are you making me go?" Their expression hadn't changed. Asriel was completely dumbfounded. Did they think he was going to attack them? He already said he wouldn't, what was their deal? Asriel began tapping a finger on the table.

"No, I am not. I was just asking," he said, a little bit too defensively.

"Then could I stay here instead?" Asriel was now having to put effort into keeping his cool.

"You're free to do what you want, remember."

"Then could I please go back to your room?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." The tension in Asriel dissipated, replaced with a sense of disappointment.

"Am I be excused?" Chara asked. Asriel nodded.

Chara got up and started to walk away when Asriel blurted out, "One more thing." Chara stopped. "Can I, um, get you anything?"

"Thanks, but no." Asriel couldn't help but sink a little bit in his chair. Chara began to walk again.

"Alright, well if you need me you can always…" by that time Chara was already out of sight. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. He kept trying to tell himself that it didn't matter. He went through the motions of telling himself that Chara was an enemy and should be destroyed and humans were bad and this and that... It all just turned into white noise.

"Give them time, my child." Toriel's said. Her voice made Asriel flinch. He had somehow completely forgot that his mother was sitting at the table this whole time. "Your father has his moods too," she continued, "sometimes all it takes is a bit of waiting." Asriel didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, sure," he said eventually, trying to get used to the idea. It didn't sound terrible, but he didn't quite like it. He was never one for waiting.

"My child," Toriel said, "on a different subject, why ever were you not in your room last night?"

"How… did you know that?"

"I checked, just making sure everything was okay." She did have a habit of being a bit protective of him after all, even though he knew what he was doing… most of the time.

"Okay... well" Asriel started, thinking that he should probably give her an answer, "I uh… couldn't sleep."

"Why was that?"

"I don't really know, I just couldn't." Asriel thought the details should be left out. Besides, he wasn't exactly lying.

"Is something bothering you, my child?"

"No, but thanks for asking," said Asriel, intent on leaving the conversation there. Toriel's hands went to her mouth. "What is it?" Asriel said, a bit nervous, "did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, of course not. I'm just not used to hearing you say 'thanks." She was right, he did say 'thanks.' He was supposed to be the tough one; he couldn't be saying stuff like this, It was a sign of weakness. Well, not in public, he supposed this was okay.

"I guess I have been spending too much time with Chara." Then he realized his hand was touching his mother's, and he immediately and pulled back.

"No, no, It's okay my Child. You can relax." Asriel, a bit more reluctantly, wove his fingers in hers. She began to gently massage it with her thumb, careful to avoid digging in with her sharp nails. This was something she liked to do on occasion. Asriel would probably never tell her, but it felt nice. The moment continued for a bit too long.

"Hey mom, are you-" she pulled her hand away.

"What is this?" she said with deadly seriousness.

"What?" said Asriel. This was not a good tone of voice to be hearing from his mother. She wasn't smiling; an even worse sign.

"This," she said, pointing at Asriel's neck. His knotted sweater must have slowly crept away and he didn't even notice. This wasn't good. He, for reasons he still couldn't explain, wanted Chara to be okay, but now the thing threatening them was Asriel's very own mother. He had seen her dust other monsters on a few occasions, but Chara..?

"Oh, that?" Asriel said, trying to respond like he wasn't improvising something on the spot. "That's nothing, don't worry about it." He clenched his teeth, it didn't sound convincing at all.

"Tell me."

"Well I was… um," he needed to think, but his mind was drawing a blank.

"Would it happened to have anything to do with the yelling I heard last night, my child?" She knew. The only viable option now was to tell the truth; a slightly enhanced version of the truth.

"Well," he started in a forced casual voice, "me and Chara had an… argument." His words were starting to sound a bit more real.

"Go on."

"It got a bit out of hand, and…"

"Yes?" she prompted. In Asriel's head, this was the part of the story where Chara tried to strangled him. He didn't speak.

"Did Chara… hurt you?"

This was it. "Well, yes, but It was my fault. I set them off, don't hold it against them." That last part was really important. Then he thought and quickly added, "I did it, I was being mean and they didn't like it, but it's ok now. So, don't…" She leaned in, the words ' _don't what?_ ' engraved on her expression.

Then it came to Asriel. He knew exactly how he needed to respond. He looked Toriel straight in the eye. He spoke, sounding confidence "Alright, whatever your thinking is wrong, okay?" Surprise appeared on her face. Asriel didn't stop there. "I made a mistake, but I handled it. I'm fine and will continue to be fine. Do not mess with Chara, it's my job, got it?" His commanding act sounded convincing, but in reality, he wasn't really in it.

Toriel's expression softened. Her eyes drifted away from Asriel. There was a long pause. Then she smiled. "I thought you had gone soft." she said playfully. "If you say you can handle it, I believe you, but don't get yourself hurt. Okay, my child?"

"Wasn't planning on," Asriel said. He still had to pretend he was his normal, cool self, but this too was a bit of a facade.

"But still," said Toriel with more more seriousness, "I don't want anything to happen to you." _Or Chara_ , Asriel thought. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Okay." She walked over to Asriel and patted down a stray hair on Asriel's head. She pulled him into a hug. He wasn't much for this sort of thing, but he didn't resist. "I have to go now, my child. I love you."

"I love you too mom." And he meant it. Toriel turned and headed for the front door. It was then he felt relieved that no one had died. Everyone was fine.

Later, when day had turned to night, he slept on the chair again. It was a long time before Asriel's mind finally calmed down enough to sleep. He didn't dream much, but tonight was an exception. Random images, events and emotions from the past few days played in his head. Some of them were nightmarish and made Asriel quiver in his sleep, but something about this was different from most other nightmares. It could have been worse.


	5. Chapter 5 - Asgore

He had two maps of the exact same region, but they were both different. Asgore sat in the throne room pouring over maps and documents. He ordered a large table brought in after Chara fell so he could keep track of everything. The circular table took up most of the room; its' entire surface covered with papers. Royal guard reports, weapon and armor supply reports, economic updates and yes, maps.

Maps were especially annoying to deal with. The two maps were supposed to depict the landscape of the surface just beyond the barrier. The documents were ancient and a bit faded. They were constructed from the memories of a few monsters after the nearly extinct race had been trapped underground.

How was he supposed to make a plan with this? One map showed there was a mountain pass to the southeast, while the other showed there was one to the southwest. He grabbed another map from the table, this one said there were no mountains at all, and instead the Underground exited into a large valley.

Asgore grabbed a random piece of blank parchment, bottle of ink, and a feather quill. He drew an 'X' at bottom of the page; a representation of the barrier. Then he drew a large diamond shape in the middle of the page. And two more lines on the left and right of it, both following the edges of the central diamond shape.

Two paths branching around a central mountain or hill. Asgore sighed and threw his improvised, and probably incorrect, map onto the sea of papers. After what felt like months of research, he was getting nowhere.

As he started his fourth check of how many royal guardsmen were in fighting condition, the doors of the throne room burst open. A disembodied suit of armor ran in, the pieces connected by an ethereal white light. Asgore could already guess why the monster had come.

"My liege," A surprisingly grounded voice said, originating from the glowing armor.

"Speak." Said Asgore's own deep voice.

"There is a gathering outside. Their leader is challenging-"

"I figured. I'll handle it," Said Asgore, hearing enough.

"Would you like me to alert the captain?"

"I can handle it. Return to your post." The guardsman turned to leave immediately. Asgore paused for a moment, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath; in and out. He was already wearing his suit of armor, ready for moments like these. He slowly pushed himself up from his seat, and started the trek to the castle's main entrance.

Asgore, dressed in his armor, cape, and crown, the symbol of his authority, looked up at the massive wooden doors of the castle's main entrance. He could hear a distant, muffled commotion from the other side. He motioned to the two assembled guards. One of the monsters looked like a snake with a pair of bird wings, coiled through some metal pieces that only slightly resembled armor, the other being the same glowing suit of armor from before.

Both guardsmen noded and, combining their strength, removed the large wooden beam that kept the door shut. The doors slowly swung open, a dim stream of light poured into the room. The mumbled sound swiftly turned into loud yelling. Asgore stepped outside. A large group of monsters stood on the huge bridge the the castle's main entrance.

At this point, everything was going almost routinely. When Asgore heard the inevitable cacophony of insults, he froze. Usually it was about how Asgore didn't solve this, or how he wouldn't help the monster race with that. Asgore would be blamed for things that the monsters didn't actually understand, but today it was a different. More than just petty quarrels. Chara.

The crowd was yelling about Chara. How did they… Asriel. He must have been careless and was seen with a living human. Asgore should have been paying attention, how long have monsters known that Chara was alive? The information could have spread across the whole of the underground by now.

"Asgore!" a savage voice yelled above the rest. Thoughts aside, Asgore scanned the crowd for the source. The yelling had died down somewhat with the introduction of this new voice.

A monster stepped out of the crowd. It was humanoid, with two legs and arms. It's head was matted with unkempt, brown hairs. One huge orange eye looking into Asgore's. More noticeably where the two large, curved blades sticking out of the creature's arms. It had a bulky, muscular build, obviously possessing great strength.

"You harbor a human!" a gruff voice spat from the creature. "You betray your own kind by allowing the enemy to live!" Asgore kept his face impassive, even though he was quickly losing patience.

"You're mistaken." Asgore said, monotone. How much did this monster know?

"Look at his lies! You chose to help the enemy over your own people!" In other words, all this monster knew was _Asgore is bad because there is a human_. Great. Only the faintest Idea of the situation, as always. At this point Asgore was just waiting for the inevitable fight to begin. The monster turned to address the crowd. "Do we want a king that would side with the very race that locked us down here?" the monster yelled again. The crowd responded with with shouts of defiance.

"Well then" the leader said, turning once again to address Asgore. "King Asgore," he started. Asgore knew to wait until the monster finished. If he attacked before the proper words that initiated an official challenge were completed, it would be seen as a cowardly act. He was considering breaking this unspoken rule just to save time, but he knew it would only incite another challenge some time later. "You are not fit to lead the monster race! I hereby challenge you to ownership of the royal crown!" Finally.

Challenging the king was a duel to the death. If Asgore lost, he would die, obviously. However there was more at stake than just his own life. This group of monsters would storm the castle. The Royal guard would likely be overtaken by the sheer number of attackers. If his wife failed at defending herself, she would be killed, execution style. His son too.

That, or his family would be exiled to some far reaching, dark corner of the Underground. Of course by that point, Chara would have been ripped to shreds long before that. A challenge meant Asgore fought to defend himself, his reign, his family, and even Chara, although for a different reason.

However there were many things working for Asgore. Toriel wasn't the queen because she married into power. She had earned the title herself. All concerns were irelivant. Such worries would only exist if there was any chance that Asgore would lose.

"I accept!" Asgore bellowed for all to hear. He shot out his arm and a massive whirlwind of flames blossomed into being. The flames spiraled inward toward his outstretched hand. When the flames dissipated, a massive glowing red trident was held in his grasp.

He always made a big show of it before a battle to discourage enemies. Fighting is more than strength. Information is just as important, if not more. He learned that the hard way a long time ago.

The challenger wasted no time and charged at Asgore, arm blades held back, ready to slash and cut. Fast, faster than expected. Asgore swung his free hand and a wall of flames engulfed the bridge, cutting off its' path. The monster was suddenly on the railing of the bridge before it rebounded off with a jump. It flew through the air, arms out in front in a sort of pincer attack.

With perfect timing, Asgore swung his trident. the pronged end covered enough area to block both blades, faster than the attacker was expecting. The harsh parry sent the monster sailing off course. It landed hard, skidding against the stone floor of the bridge, now on the opposite side of Asgore.

The creature shot up and charged once again. Asgore was completely confident he had won. He created another wall of flames, this time he knew more than what to expect. He thought two steps ahead.. Its' legs were obviously capable of jumping a great height, the reason it skirted the edges of the flame before, instead of jumping straight over it was likely to catch Asgore by surprise. Asgore's years of experience told him his opponent was going to vary its' strategy.

Asgore kneeled down, trident held up at a roughly forty-five degree angle. He saw the shadow as the monster drew near the wall of flames again. This time, the monster appeared above the center of the fiery wall, blades held high over its' head. Asgore had predicted correctly. The monster, before it could even process what was going on, fell onto the pointed end of the trident. Without breaking so much as a sweat, It was almost too easy.

However it is not enough to simply win a single fight. In order to truly be the strongest, you have to win every battle to come after, before it even comes to pass. As the now dying monster, skewered to the end of the trident, started to disintegrate into dust, Asgore hefted his weapon up and turned toward the crowd. Summoning all his strength, he threw the trident like a spear high in the air. It arced, and as it came close to landing in the crowd of assembled monsters, Asgore clasped his hands together.

The weapon, and the impaled monster, exploded into a huge shower of flames. Monsters screamed and jumped to the floor for cover. The flames didn't reach them, Asgore only wanted it to _appear_ like it would. When the glow faded, the trident, the monster, and any courage another monster had to challenge Asgore disappeared in an instant. It was unfortunate this discouragement didn't last longer.

Stories would be told of this day. How the true king of the monster dispatched his attacker with ease, in less than about fifteen seconds. Even though it may have seemed longer, that's about how long the whole ordeal lasted.

Asgore spoke before the crowd could recover from their shock. "This monster, and others like it have been feeding you lies!" his voice boomed. "I will show pity to you poor, ignorant people. I will not harm anyone, or even banish any of you from my city. But be warned; do not oppose the Royal Family again." He kept telling himself that this was the last warning he would give. Then he turned and calmly walked back through the gates of the castle.

Some time had passed, and Asgore was once again pouring over pieces of parchment that did not help him in the slightest. He had taken his armor off; it was strew about on the floor. He couldn't be bothered to take care of it.

"My king," a calm, smooth voice interrupted. Asgore, now further frustrated by yet another interruption, looked up to see the royal scientist, Doctor Gaster, standing in the entrance to the throne room. The doctor wore his normal blinding white lab coat that draped over much of his form, save for his hands and head. "I know right now may not be a good time, but I would like to ask you something," said his voice that seemed to emanate from everywhere. His unnerving dark eyes and cracked face that never moved were enough to unsettle even Asgore, although only a slightly.

"What do you want?" Asgore barked, turning his gaze back to the papers.

"The commotion from earlier has much talk about it. Soon the entire underground will know that you have captured a human."

"Spit it out doctor."

"I want to study this human."

"Absolutely not." Asgore said, slamming a book down and looking the doctor straight in the closest thing that resembled an eye.

"Oh come now," implored Gaster in a tone that sounded much too sweet. "There is so much to gain if I were able to study it." The thing was, Gaster _could_ learn a lot, but there was such a thing as going 'too far,' even in the harsh society of the Underground.

"I remember what happened the last time you were given subjects to study, doctor." Asgore said, trying to retain an impassive attitude.

"Yes, then you know how far my research came because of it."

"You yourself told me that you somehow managed to damage your own soul in the process."

"It was all for-"

"And then there were the others…" Asgore trailed off, remembered the screams during one of his rare visits to Gaster's lab. He always thought of himself as harsh and unbreakable, but Gaster's pursuit of knowledge was, and still is… extreme. _Very_ extreme. Asgore didn't even want to look at the bodies. Even though Chara is a human, and therefore the enemy, there is a difference between killing and torture.

Gaster didn't speak but instead silently slid across the ground, approaching Asgore. Cautious, he observed the doctor slowly remove a piece of paper from the stack on the table. Asgore was thinking about cutting the half-monster, half-… thing down for getting so close. Gaster held out the paper for Asgore to see. It was the rough map he made depicting the area outside the barrier.

Out of nowhere, small white stones popped into existence and flew through the air, snapping together at a single point. Asgore had seen Gaster's trick before. The stones, more accurately, bones, formed into a floating skeletal hand with a perfect circle cut through its' palm.

"You see," Gaster finally continued as his magical floating hand grabbed the quill and dipped it in ink, "you always have a plan." Gaster flipped the paper over to its' blank side with his real hands, while extra appendage began to sketch something. "I, as you probably know, like plans and procedure. That's why I've always admired you." Asgore remained silent. "You're forming a plan right now, in fact."

This struck a nerve. The thing about Gaster was that he always knew things. Much more than he should in fact. He probably knew more about Asgore's plan of attack than The King did himself. That kind of knowledge is dangerous, and it makes Gaster a potential threat. Still, he is… usefull.

"Yet you are missing a few pieces," continued Gaster. It was time for Asgore to learn just how much the doctor knew. "It all comes down to Chara, does it not?" Asgore's nails dug into the wooden table ever-so-slightly. "A monster and a human soul can pass through the barrier, and seven human souls can completely destroy the barrier."

"I already know this."

"Yes, you do, you know that if you kill them and absorb their spirit, you become stronger, but you don't know how much stronger exactly. If I were to make an educated guess, you are thinking that if you walk out on to the surface, your power may still not be enough and you may simply die, along with the hopes of all monsters being freed. Am I correct?"

"What's your point?" Asgore said, having to try harder to keep a straight face. He really wanted the scientist to just disappear. Yet, a part of him thought that this was the very reason he recruited Gaster. Besides, the King knew what the doctor was going to suggest.

"My point is that I can figure it out. Everything. Your biggest strengths and weaknesses while you possess the soul of your captured human." Gaster put the finished drawing on the table. It was an incredibly detailed depiction of a path on the surface that wound down from the barrier's exit to a valley. It even included lines to indicate exact elevations. How did Gaster possibly know this? Well, Asgore wasn't _that_ surprised at the doctor's show of knowledge. "I can tell you everything you need and more. Besides, what does the comfort of a single human matter when they will all be exterminated?"

Gaster did have a good point. In fact, it left Asgore with what looked to be a blatantly 'correct' choice. He hated it. Everything Gaster said seemed to be like a knife slowly twisting through Asgore's spine. It seemed right logically, but it felt wrong.

Asgore remembered how his son, Asriel, would walk in, smiling because of the time he had spent with Chara. He stopped using the chain a long while ago; he said the human was harmless and sort of innocent, even though they were the enemy. Asgore never liked his son's too-trusting attitude towards the human, but he was happy. Asriel's father didn't want to take that away from the two of them…

Even the sight of the small human at the dinner table had become somehow familiar. However, Asgore was the King. He had a higher duty to attend to. The humans had taken everything from him and his people. For monsters to continue, humanity would have to end, and Gaster could prove to be valuable in reaching this end.

"... fine," Asgore said eventually, "Asriel will take the human to you in time."

"When?" Gaster asked curtly. Leaning forward like a hungry animal. Asgore jammed a pointed finger in the doctor's mask-like face.

"You should best remember, the human is the property of the Royal Family. What happens to them is ultimately my decision. Got it?"

"Of course. I don't forgotten."

"Good, now get out," Asgore said with disdain for the mad scientist.

"When can I expect the-"

"That was an order!" he bellowed. Then Gaster's form simply faded away, like he was never there to begin with. All that was left of the doctor was the map Asgore held in his hands.


	6. Chapter 6 - Chara

At this point, Chara learned how to not flinch every single time Asriel did something. Chara sat in their shared bedroom as the same furred monster, in typical fashion, slammed the door shut behind him. However, today, Asriel looked much more angry than ever; Chara almost expected Asriel to walk up hit them. Asriel's clenched hands and shoulders relaxed slightly as he let out a long breath.

His apparent anger had dissipated, leaving him looking more shaken than anything. He was absent-mindedly tapping door behind him with his finger, lost in thought. It somehow reminded Chara of their aching shoulder.

It had happened one day when Asriel was taking Chara somewhere. He was running so fast, pulling Chara by their arm. He then "accidentally" yanked hard, causing Chara to fall at a bad angle and dislocate their shoulder. Asriel needed three tries to set it back in its' place. The painful thought still makes them shiver. Chara shouldn't have let that happen. They should have stayed back so they couldn't have gotten grabbed in the first place. Asriel caused Chara a lot of accidents.

Now they were alone, in the room of the same person, who is now noticeably distressed. They didn't realize they were backing up until the dresser cabinet met their back. A noise, however slight, was just enough to pull Asriel from his thoughts. Chara tensed.

"We need to go," Asriel said, struggling to keep something out of his voice.

"Can't we just stay here?" Responded Chara with a similar attempt at concealing their growing discomfort.

"No," he said as he looked away, thinking about something .He was either angry or he wasn't. This bizarre mix was starting to make Chara more and more nervous.

"Uh..." Chara tried to think of a way out. "What about-"

"Look, we need to go," he said, looking back, his face almost impassive, "Dad's orders." Chara didn't move. Asriel sighed. "I don't like this either, trust me, but we can't do anything about it. Remember the part about him being, ya know... the King?" Chara really didn't like the sound of this. They pressed their back into the dresser, hoping that somehow they would magically slip through it and be gone from this. Asriel held out his hand, "Well?"

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry." Chara began to force themselves forward. It was very slow.

"Hey," Asriel said in voice that sounded almost a bit sympathetic, "Dad said it's not too bad. So don't worry." He flashed a smile but it quickly faded.

At this point neither of them cared how uncanny the out-of-place giant metal cube of a laboratory looked. They were inside now, the door was closed. The cold air poured over Chara's hot, sweat drenched skin; their sleeves rolled up a long time ago.

The lights were so dim, there were practically none at all. They welcomed the restful darkness after being exposed to constant strain that the lava-covered landscape left on their eyes. They only walked for about twenty minutes from the river to the lab, but it quite literally felt like a trek through hell itself. Chara didn't even want to think about how they would have to do the same thing again, at the end of the day.

They looked at Asriel. He wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. Chara waved their hand in front of him. Nothing.

"Asriel," Chara said, through exhausted panting. Still nothing happened. "Asirel," Chara repeated louder. They nudged his shoulder. Chara didn't know...

"I see that you've made it," a voice said, cutting straight through to Chara's brain. They frantically looked around, looking for the source of the sound that made them flinch. The looked down the long dark corridor and saw a form that made them shudder. It didn't even move its legs, it just sort of glided along the ground like a ghost. This was like no monster Chara had ever seen.

"I wouldn't worry about the prince," the voice continued, "He's passed out from heat exhaustion, likely because fur can absorb and store heat much more efficiently than human tissue. With my help he'll be fine." The monster was now close enough for Chara to make out its' face. The unnerving imitation of a face was enough for Chara to rip their eyes away and never want look at it again. Even though they still felt like they were burning up, they were shivering.

They heard a snapping sound. Like a bunch of stones being jostled around. They cautiously looked back to see a floating skeletal hand in front of their face. Chara pressed themselves against the door, their hand groping for the switch to open it. "Do not be afraid. My name is Doctor W.D. Gatser. We will be working together. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance." The hand, aside from the lack of skin and odd hole cut into the palm, looked like any normal one searching for a handshake.

Chara slowly reached up in an attempt to shake the floating hand, for fear that something bad would happen to them if they did not. Suddenly they were pulled to their feet. They were about to fall back down when another hand, combined with the previous, grabbed Chara by the shoulders and steadied them. Their heart was pounding. They couldn't help feel that this this monster, this… Gaster, was trying to play some sick joke on them.

Chara's gaze slowly drifted up Gaster's lab coat to as far as they could bare. In their peripheral vision, it looked like the Doctor wasn't even look at them, or at anything really. Like their imitation-like face really just was an imitation. Another thing caught their eye. It was Asriel, floating into the air. How did… more hands were grabbing him under the shoulder and carrying him off.

Before Chara's mind could imagine the worst, Gaster's omnipotent voice spoke, "I need to get him looked at. Heat exhaustion isn't fatal but It shouldn't be taken lightly. I think you should get looked at as well." The last part was said almost hungrily.

Just as quick as their introduction was, Gaster and Asriel were already gliding away down the hall. "Come along." Chara hesitated a second before following.

Chara saw the many things on the walls while following the two down the spacious corridor. There were endless chalkboards all packed with equations, graphs, and strange symbols they have never even seen before. Cabinets, drawers and shelves, all labeled with similar symbols, lined the walls from floor to the ceiling.

The contents varied wildly. It ranged from a few white, plastic bottles to some jars containing strange things, suspended in liquid. Those… whatever they are... resembled mutilated pieces of meat. For a second, it looked like something moved.

Gaster suddenly halted. Asriel was set down on some sort of operating table, various hanging machinery loomed above. One of the two hands holding him let go, reached up and pressed a button on one of the machines. Chara felt a nice, cool air fall over them. The other hand quickly disappeared back towards the entrance. It came back holding a clear plastic bottle with some kind of blue solution in it. The two hands worked together and unscrewed the bottle, opened Asriel's mouth slightly, and slowly poured some of the liquid in. Chara didn't know what this all was for, but they assumed it would all be fine. They hoped at least. They still didn't know why they were here.

They let their gaze wander around. It was apparent they somehow missed something. On the wall, opposite where Asriel was resting, was a giant blueprint for some giant machine. The blue paper extended from floor, to the dim lights on the faraway ceiling. It made Chara realize just how small they were compared to this place.

"A prototype," Gaster's voice cut in, as if reading their mind, "for 'The Core.' A machine that provides electricity to the entire Underground." His blank face was staring off again while the hands remained stationary around Asriel. Part of Chara, the part that wasn't consumed with unease, wondered why the lights were so dim if this gargantuan machine existed. Again Gaster responded almost telepathically, "The geothermal generator extracts lava from what is now known to be 'Hotland,' and uses its' heat to generate usable energy. Unfortunately it is less efficient than predicted. Some… upgrades will be required in time."

Asriel's suddenly jolted awake. He looked around frantically before his eyes settled on the Doctor. Gaster's face wasn't pointed anywhere near him, so he wasn't getting the full first impression.

"Who are-" Asriel started before being cut off.

"I am the one your father informed you about. Doctor W.D. Gaster. Pleased to meet you." One of the hands shot out in front of Asriel, intending to shake hands. Chara could recognize his hesitancy to shake the seemingly impossible and erratic thing.

"Where-"

"My laboratory. You passed out on your way here. You'll be fine."

"Uh…" Asriel looked around nervously, "No, I think you're wrong. I would never-"

"Don't worry, there is nothing to be embarrassed about, young prince. Every body has its' limits. It is a fact."

"Shut it, okay?" It almost looked like Asriel blushing. Then again it was completely possible that Chara too was suffering from heat-induced hallucinations. As if on cue, one of Gaster's hand's flew at Chara's face. They almost fell backwards, the hand held the bottle with the same liquid as before.

"Drink," prompted Gaster. Chara looked at the bottle, then at Gaster, than the bottle again. They took it and drank a small sip. The extreme bitterness made Chara double over. "Don't spit it out." Chara forced it down, letting out an 'uhg.' They realized they were feeling lightheaded only after it disappeared. When they looked up, the hand and the bottle were gone.

"Now, we are all ready to begin the tests," Gaster said. He turned so his face was generally pointing toward Asriel, causing the 'young prince' to physically draw back from the sight. The doctor did something resembling a bow. "My prince, the subject and I will now begin our tests. The liquid you drank will regulate your body heat so you may leave without fear of losing consciousness again, if you wish."

"Well," Asriel said, glancing at Asriel, "I think I'll stay." Chara wasn't sure how they felt about Asriel leaving versus staying.

It looked like he regretted that decision before long. The tests were not interesting at all, mostly more of an inconvenience. Height, weight, length of each limb, and samples. A lot of samples. Hair samples, saliva sample, a hand even swabbed Chara's nose.

Every time something was measured or taken, a hand would put it under the microscope while another would fly down the hall to an almost random looking chalkboard and record some small detail. It even looked liked observations were being recorded from things under the microscope, even though Gaster never moved to actually look at it.

The obsessive attention to detail was a bit odd, but nothing hurt. Most everything reminded Chara of their one single visit to the doctor's. Their so-called guardians, at the time, made sure the ordeal didn't end well…

They noticed Asriel's failing attempts to sit still. His frustration is never a good sign. However the presence of Gaster actually made them feel a bit less tense. Gaster, and his helping hands would stop anything out of the ordinary from happening.

When it came time for a blood sample, Chara managed to not cry as the needle drew a steady stream of the red fluid. They were a bit worried that Gaster would draw too much, but the doctor knew when exactly to stop. When the small bit of gauze and bandages were wrapped over their arm, it felt like nothing happened to them at all.

In fact, it was Asriel who had the biggest problem with the whole thing. Chara caught him staring at the red liquid. It made them wonder how much of his toughness was just an act.

"Monsters don't bleed," Gaster answered their not-question yet again, "So it seems the young prince is not used to the sight of such fluids and tissues. Asriel didn't even argue and that was a bit unsettling. Did he like seeing it or not? "When monster are injured, a gap is simply left where the damage was dealt."

"Mister Gaster," Chara Interjected, "How do you know what I'm always thinking?"

"It's easy to spot and interpret your glances and expressions. Don't mistake me for some sort of mystic." Even though the doctor obviously possessed great intelligence, its' face barely ever moved, so how could all these things possibly be seen? The responses were too oddly specific. "We have concluded for today, you two may leave. Unless you would like to stay to watch me perform tests on the gathered samples, however I think that is not the case. Don't forget to come back everyday, as planned."Everyday? Why did Asriel not mention this? Was this part of some plan of his?

"Finally," Asriel let out with a sigh, "Let's get out of here." Chara slowly walked over to follow him. They let Asriel go first, always making sure to keep their distance for whatever will inevitably happen. It felt like it didn't take as long to get to the entrance now that they had taken everything in. Asriel, on the other hand, was looking around at the endless amount of everything.

When the two of them got outside, the intense heat wasn't nearly as bad. The doctor's medicine more than making up for the terrible taste. Chara kinda liked Gaster. His figure and the way he moved were some of the most unnerving things they had ever seen, but the doctor couldn't exactly do anything about it. He was polite and gentle in a way. He made them feel almost… safe.

This was when Chara realized they had been standing still. Why hadn't Asriel moved? He was scanning the glowing, cavernous surroundings intently.

"Asriel?" Chara said.

"Did you see that?" he asked, a dangerous caution in his voice.

"See what?" They responded with a hint of anxiety.

"Nothing, we should go," he said very quickly, grabbing Chara by the arm and pulled hard as Asriel began to walk quickly. Too hard, Chara was pulled off their feet and landed hard on the hot stone ground. A shock jolted them as they felt skin break upon impact. Automatically, a small yelp escaped them at the burning sensation.

Their eyes teared up; unlike the blood test, they couldn't prepare themselves for it. Asriel offered a hand with the words, "Oh my god, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it." Chara got up by themselves, feeling a trickle of liquid move down their legs and arms. Chara knew Asriel wasn't sorry, it was just to put them off guard.

It was too sudden to be an accident. Chara said nothing, keeping their head turned away from him. They didn't want to let him get a reaction out of them. Chara started walking before Asriel could say anything else. They didn't want to hear his justifications.

The next day, the heat-resistant medicine that the doctor gave them and Asriel had worn off. They made sure to wear much lighter clothing, their brown shorts and a typically black tee shirt. Asriel did the same; both of them made sure to drink a lot of water before leaving. Chara immediately regretted not bringing more with them.

They had bandaged their scrapes but they felt a bit sick. Chara and Asriel were in the lab once again, having just entered. The Doctor would be to there to greet them any moment.

"Hey Chara," said Asriel. They looked at him. "I think I'll get going. I'll be back when it's time, is that cool?" Chara nodded, still saying nothing. Asriel frowned. "Okay... well, I'll see you later."

"Bye," was all Chara responded with. Asriel pushed a button on the wall's control panel and the door slid open. He looked at them one last time before walking outside. Chara stood in silence for a few minutes before the Doctor came into view.

"I'm terribly sorry for being late, I was preparing for your arrival," The voice said into Chara's mind.

"It was only a few minutes." They said, trying and failing to resist the urge to look away.

"I see you're alone." said Gaster, in a tone that somehow sounded more serious. While Chara wasn't looking directly, they thought they saw something that made their skin crawl. It was only for a second, but it looked like Gaster's face had… changed. It was elongated, the mouth stretched into an eerie grin, the eyes an uncanny ovular shape. He had… pupils. Chara turned to look instinctively but the thing in their peripheral vision was gone, the normally creepy Gaster looking off into the distance.

"Uh…" Chara let out absentmindedly, already deeply unsettled.

"It seems you got a scrape yesterday. Come, I need to heal it. You have an infection."

"...Okay." Gaster seemed much more intense when Asriel wasn't there. Chara followed as Gaster glided off toward some part of the lab.

"You seem bothered by something."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Actually it is something. You looked like you have seen a phantom. Would you by chance happen to feel a bit queasy?"

"Actually… yes."

"Ah. You see, when you cut yourself, macroscopic pieces of rock entered your bloodstream. They have been known to cause the feeling of an upset stomach, decrease in energy, dryness of mouth, and very mild hallucinations and optical anomalies."

"Really?" This accurately described how they felt. Actually, It described how they felt exactly.

"Of course." Gaster stopped, it was by the same operating table. Chara sat down while a pair of hands flew out from down the corridor. One held a piece of pauge, the other holding a different bottle than the one from yesterday. The bottles contents were poured onto the gauze. "Be warned, this may sting, but it's important,"

"Thank you for telling me." The hand pulled off the bandaid on Chara's right knee and applied the gauze to a cut. Chara winced. It burned, but it was over quickly. A fresh band aid was applied from a third hand. This process was repeated with all of their cuts. It stung, but they felt a bit better knowing the infection was gone.

"Come," Gaster said without any further prompt or explanation. Chara followed the doctor to an elevator. One of the hands moved up to a control panel and pressed buttons faster than Chara could even comprehend. It looked like a blur. A red light shown at the top of the elevator's entrance and the doors slid opened.

Hesitantly, Chara followed the doctor inside. When the doors had closed, a series of buttons were pressed. The elevator moved… oddly. There was the normal sensation of losing and gaining weight when the elevator started on its' path, but Chara also felt they were pushed to the sides, backward and forwards, even strange combinations of all of them. Chara had to keep their hands on the walls. Gaster never moved despite the strange bombardment of forces. Chara's dwindling sense of safety was dwindling.

When the doors opened, there was a small room with a desk and a work table with various machine parts resting on it. The walls covered in papers, aside from a chalkboard, all full of writing. There was a window, but the other side had some sort of metal covering it. There was a door on the same wall, it was closed.

Gaster walked into the room and Chara eventually followed. They found a chair, the only chair, and sat down. Their eyes widened when they saw Gaster turn around, one of his assistant hands holding some sort of metal device with a large needle at the end. Before Chara's thoughts could fill them with worst-case-scenarios, Gaster spoke.

"Don't be afraid. I can assure you that this will not hurt in the slightest. In fact, if I am correct, this shouldn't feel like anything, so long as you try not to move."

"Oh… okay..." Chara said meekly. This whole thing was a bad Idea. They wanted to leave but the elevator had closed.

"Would you like to hold my hand?" Chara froze. What did he say?

"Sure?" Chara said in an almost trance, then immediately regretting the words. Gaster extended his real hand and Chara, although they wanted to do anything but, slowly took it. It was cool and smooth. Like porcelain. They did actually feel a bit better, until they noticed the object approaching, there was a small red light emanating from the needle.

Now the gentle touch of the doctor's hand felt like it was there to hold Chara down so they couldn't escape. They shut their eyes as they felt metal touch their wrist. There was no pain, they slowly opened their eyes to look back. The metal was resting harmlessly against their skin.

"When… are you going to do it?" Chara asked cautiously.

"It's happening right now. See, I told you it would be fine." Gaster responded. "Do you want me to let go now?"

"S-sure." The hand retracted. The face was still a bit too close for Chara's liking. For the next few hours the metal needle was pressed harmlessly against various parts of Chara's body. None were too invasive, or pushing into sensitive areas. Occasionally, a hand would snap together and turn various knobs and dials on the strange machine at a speed that hurt Chara's eyes when they looked at.

Chara glanced at the empty glass of water they were given at some point. Sitting in a chair for so long somehow left them feeling exhausted. When was this over? After another rapidfire change was added to the device, it was slowly pushed against Chara's chest and something odd happened. They felt very tingly, uncomfortably so.

"Tell me," Gaster's voice spoke after what felt like an eternity of silence, "how does this feel?"

"Uh… uh, f-funny?" Chara managed, finding it difficult to concentrace.

"Tell me more."

"C- could you please stop?"

"I'm sorry, I will soon, but are you feeling a tingling sensation."

"Y-yeah!" Chara said louder, finding it difficult to control their speech, "It f-feels... like a lot of small needles." The device was pulled away and the sensation subsided.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that. Just know that you were very useful." Gaster pulled back, and it made Chara release some kind of tension that had built up while the doctor was so close. Then a swarm of white stones suddenly popped into existence. They filled the room, all snapping together rapidly. The endless snapping made Chara cover their ears.

Each new hand grabbed a piece of chalk and or an eraser. They quickly converged on the chalkboard like a swarm of bees. Rapidly purging the original symbols and equations and replacing them with others. In only a few seconds, the room had gone from just the two of them, to a swarm of hands all attacking a board, then back to the two again.

Sudden outbursts of incomprehensible things seemed to be the norm with Doctor Gaster. It made Chara want to leave. Yet still, the doctor never lied about anything. Things the doctor described happened as mentioned; even the tingling sensation, while quite uncomfortable wasn't actually painful. Maybe their urge to leave wasn't as much as they thought.

"We are done for today, and perfect timing, the young prince will be here soon." Gaster concluded.

Chara was escorted to the entrance and stepped outside. Asriel could be seen at a distance walking in their direction. As they waited, they realized they were in a good mood, or rather, had been. Now it was another game of trying to figure out the game Asriel was playing. What was he going to do? How was he going to do it? Was there anything Chara could do about it?

After the sort time spent waiting, Chara was already sweating from the heat. They should have asked for that blue liquid stuff. However, they didn't want to inconvenience the Doctor. Besides, Asriel was right in front of them now.

"Chara, look, uh… I think we're being watched," Said Asriel, exasperated. Chara wasn't in a great mood from the unsettling tests. Now Asriel was trying to make up some narrative to the things he did. Chara could see it, he wanted to hurt them, and they weren't having any of it. Without saying anything, they walked straight past him, toward the spot where the River Person would be.

They felt a furry hand grab their wrist, his sharp nails digging in more than needed. Before whatever Asriel was about to do, Chara pulled hard and ripped their arm out of his grip. Still not even looking at him.

"I'm serious!" He insisted.

"If you're so sure, then why don't you call a guard." Chara responded indifferently.

"N-no."

"Why?" They turned to look at him.

"I don't need a guard," he said defensively, "we'll be fine. Just... trust me okay?" Chara was feeling that sensation from earlier. When they wanted to choke him to death. Was this the best he had? Any doubt that Asriel wasn't actually trying to trick them into hurting them right now had been completely stamped out. But… they couldn't move. Why wouldn't their body do anything?

They wanted to do something about it, but when the thought of what to do, they hesitated. Then hesitation turned to something that washed over their anger, dampening it out completely. It left them feeling weak. They finally turned away and walked.

Asriel was asking more questions than usual today. Chara refused to say anything to him after yesterday. It would have been great to be wrong, just this once, but no. All they could do was to try to take two steps back for every step Asriel took toward them. Just pad the blows as best they could when it inevitably comes. Like always.

There did come a time when Chara spoke. They had walked through the door of the lab, Asriel still standing outside. "You can go now." They said in a monotone voice.

"Chara? Are you okay? You've been acting really weird recently." Asriel said with mock-concern.

"I'm fine." They had considered shutting the door on him, but making Asriel angry would not be wise.

The tests for that day were in line with the senseless tasks with obsessive attention to detail. It was a bit more unpleasant this time, but It could have been far worse. It took place in the same small room, however, this time, the doctor wasn't so claustrophobically close.

Some sort of electrodes were stuck to various parts of Chara's body. Another, much larger device with a needle, similar in some ways to the one from yesterday was pointed at their chest. The doctor would flip a switch every once in awhile. For a short time of only a few seconds, Chara felt a slight sensation of vertigo, followed by a bit of nausea when the device was deactivated.

Chara left the lab feeling a bit dizzy with a small headache. Again, nothing major was done. In fact the best description for the the day was just boring. Having something so simple to describe a day was wonderful in a way. They met Asriel just outside the door. He looked very shaken by something.

"We need to go," he said before Chara could even react, "Now. Right now." Already ignoring his rambling, Chara started to walk the same route as normal. "No, we can't go that way. Something is following us. I know it! We need to go another way, through waterfall. You were right, I should have brought a guard with us."

He was playing the game. Very well in fact. Give some credibility to the victim; apologize to reassure them so one can get close. Chara felt a bit sad that they still had to go through this song and dance after so long. They never really realized it, but it had been a very, very long time. They started walking again.

"Im telling you, something really is following us! We need to go, now!" Asriel implored, no doubt faking his terror. His actual emotions were likely full of eagerness for what he wanted to come. Chara quickly descended some rocky steps that looked like they had been carved centuries ago. Asriel was running after them, shouting his fake words. Chara was starting to feel regret for not killing him.

They were on a flatter piece of terrain with many rocks that obscured the view of the landscape. Something move and chara almost ran into it. They froze at the sight. Its' dark brown form walked on four pointed, stick-like legs. The head had no features besides a large jagged crack running vertically down it.

Chara started to back up, slowly at first; faster when the crack spit the head open into a huge maw of teeth. At the back of the mouth was a single giant eye that looked into Chara's own. It started to move forward, and Chara turned to run. Their pulse was speeding up.

Something swiped at their legs. They landed hard on the rocky ground, they rolled themselves over, only to have something sharp bite into their shoulder. Chara screamed as the creature's sharp leg pinned them into the ground, the head snapping and drawing close. Chara was hyperventilating.

Then an flaming explosion rocked them to their core. The creature, looking completely unaffected turned its' head. Chara was too stunned to follow its gaze.

"Get away from them!" Asriel's wild voice yelled. The creature removed the limb that pinned Chara and started to charge away. The wound in Chara's shoulder was deep, it was saturated in a coat of fresh blood. Through a daze, they wadded up their shirt as best they could and held it there in attempt to stop the bleeding.

They looked, and saw the creature ascending the stairs, being bombarded by explosions, intent on reaching Asriel who stood at the top. If this creature lived in a world of fire, then Asriel's attacks were doing nothing but slow it down. Chara forgot to breath as the fireworks stopped and the view of the creature and Asriel were obscured by the top of the incline. The last thing they glimpsed was the creature pouncing on him.

They saw Asriel be thrown through the air, his back landed hard on a rock not to far away from Chara; so hard that the rock actually cracked. Chara felt like their heart has stopped. His eyes were closed. For a moment, Chara thought he was dead, and would disintegrate any second, then they would die soon after.

His eyes flew open, full of rage. He quickly pushed himself up as the creature became visible again, bounding down the stairs. Without looking away, Asriel reached back and grabbed a sharp piece of rock that had broken off.

He screamed and charged. Asriel slashed with his makeshift weapon but the head swiveled out of the way. Chara flinched when they saw the head open and bite down on his arm. Asriel screamed, but the scream quickly turned into a furious grunt through clenched teeth.

The mouth of the creature exploded open in a shower of flames and dust. Stumbling around aimlessly, It did a poor job trying to cover the burned, sensitive eye with its leg. Asriel picked up the rock with his other hand and stabbed it in the neck over and over again. The creature tried to back up and run but Asriel relentlessly kept stabbing. Dust poured out everywhere. Then Asriel's opponent collapsed onto the ground. It started to turn gray and break down.

Chara was shivering at the sight. Asriel was very slowly walking backward toward Chara, still refusing to take his dead target. They could see the arm that was bitten was trickling its own stream of dust where deep gashes were. He kneeled down besides Chara, head turning to face them; eyes still full of rage. His breathing was rapid and heavy. He held his makeshift knife. Chara thought that this was the end. They he had had enough playing the game and was going to end it himself here and now. He held up the rock, but not to stab, the threw it away.

Eventually, he looked like was beginning to relax, despite his injury. The look in his eyes changed, the rage disappearing. He pulled them close with his good arm. This time Chara didn't try to fight it. However, they remembered their own wound and the accompanying pain. They closed their eyes, gritted their teeth and tried not to yelp.

"Hey," Asriel's concerned voice said, "Hey, look at me." Chara opened one eye. "You're okay. You're okay. You're okay..." He repeated, as if for himself too. Chara clung to him. "We need to get you to the doctor. He can heal you."

"W-what about you?" Chara asked, still shocked. He seemed almost surprised, like he was completely unaware of his own wound. He looked at the damage.

"I'll be fine."

As Asriel pulled both of them to their feet and started the slow journey up the steps, Chara's mind swam. They should have been dead. Why were they not dead? Asriel didn't need to distract the monster unless… Well, why else would he have fought so hard? Chara clung to him a little tighter.

They were on the verge of tears. Not because of the pain, but because of the realization that maybe Asriel was never doing anything to them on purpose. Maybe he wasn't lying about things just to get close. Maybe he wasn't trying to intentionally make things happen. When he said he wasn't going to hurt them, maybe he was telling the truth and was just trying his best.

It seemed almost impossible. They had been so certain that this was just another phase of the endless game. They wanted to scream. They wanted to hate him for everything, it felt almost natural to do so. Were they the one creating the narrative?

Everything they had learned strained against this idea, but maybe… Asriel did care. The Idea terrified them. To think they had been wrong the whole time. To think that they had been through so much to have this terrible cautiousness hammered into their skull. For one last time, Chara told themselves that they would believe in him.

"Asriel?" Chara said.

"What is it?" he said tenderly. There was so much they wanted to say to him. Too much to put into words. So they decided on something simple. Something that needed to be said. For everything.

"Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7 - Asriel

Something is different now. Don't get the wrong Idea, the human continues to make no sense what-so-ever, but now Asriel is glad. Well, sort of. He could barely move his arm without feeling a terrible aching, but Chara seems much less distant. Asriel couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe Chara felt that Asriel owed them after they spared his life; now that debt had been paid.

That probably wasn't it. Chara didn't seem to operate on the same logic as the underground did. Usually, owing someone was a rarity because most so-called 'debtors' were usually just dead by that point. Of course Asriel heard the whole _survival of the fittest, it's kill or be kill_ spiel so much that the words lost all meaning. None of this sounds like Chara. Weird.

Asriel had reached the door of the lab. It was time to pick them up and leave. The wait may be a few more minutes, but Asriel chose to stand outside until then, in the blazing heat. The doctor had given him, and Chara, a bottle of that terrible tasting blue stuff, so the heat was at least tolerable.

More so than the very sight of the Gaster, but at least the doctor knew his stuff. Gaster had been able to patch up both the arms of Chara and Asriel without anything falling off. However, it _did_ hurt, in fact, it still does, but the doctor said it should be fine if the two don't 'agitate' the puncture wounds. Just the way he talked, the way he moved, they he did... anything was so unnerving.

He had to wear a sort of cast. He could still move his arm around, but the movement was a bit restricted. It was like a really big, tough bandage. He had gotten a scolding for being careless. He got a lot of those, from a lot of different people, but the one from Gaster was different. All the doctor said was ' _Do not to damage to specimen_.' Asriel still doesn't know what it means, but it sounded more serious than anything he had ever heard. Chara was in the same room at the time, but somehow they couldn't hear the voice when it was… everywhere.

Asriel turned to look back at the guard accompanying him. It was impossible to tell if the green fire that wore a suit of armor was looking back at him. Fire doesn't exactly have eyes. Asriel made sure to find a guard that wouldn't talk. He didn't talk to a lot of people anyway.

Asriel really should have brought a guard to accompany him and Chara earlier. He assumed he always had to be able to handle things on his own. After all, _It's kill or be, yeah yeah yeah_ … He would never tell anyone this, but maybe he was wrong. Like really wrong. As in, he was beginning to get nervous when simply walking from the place to place, suspecting that more things would attack.

When Asriel went to his dad to ask for an escort through Hotland, he felt like he was swallowing his pride and choking on it. He had readied himself for a painful process where he would be called _weak_ for such an action as to request help. As it turned out, Asgore said no such things. He just sat on his throne, his armor was a bit dusty, and agreed to the request. Thinking about it still made Asriel's head hurt. Things must have been really bad for his father's king stuff.

Asgore was looking at Asriel's arm for a lot of the conversation. Maybe Asgore managed to put the pieces together as to what happened. He wasn't Gaster, but he was by no means dumb. What if he was worried?... Another weird Idea. This one made even less sense. Asriel really hoped Chara would come out now. How long do these test things take?

As if on cue, Asriel heard the metal doors slide open. Asriel immediately took a step back, something felt wrong. Chara, wearing their black shirt and similar arm brace, was leaning on the door frame in a way that wasn't right. They began to pitch forward, Asriel instinctively took a step forward and caught them before they fell.

"Hey, are you okay?" Asriel said, imagining the worst. It was only a matter of time before Gaster did something. Asriel managed to steady them by keeping his hands on their shoulders.

"What... I'm fine, just… really… sleepy," They said, trying to keep their eyes open.

"Uh," Asriel said, dumbfounded. Then two of them needed to get back home, quickly. "Were going, okay?"

"Oh… okay."

Curious, Asriel removed his hands from Chara's shoulders. They slowly started to tip forward again. Asriel quickly put his hands back. He looked back at the guard, expecting some sort of help. The fireball head of the guard tiled slightly. The arms gave a slight shrug. How helpful. Asriel pulled Chara's arm over his shoulder and began to drag them off. This somehow felt familiar, in a not-so-good way.

Getting back home took a long time. It took about five minutes just to get down the old stone stairs. Then something happened that was also familiar, but in a much worse way. Asriel, out of the corner of his eye, saw something flying through the air, straight for his head. Before he could react, the swishing sound of metal rung through the air.

Asriel couldn't even see the monster before it was cut into two smoldering pieces and dissolved into dust before it even hit the ground. In its' place was the fiery green guard, the orange, flaming sword it held and the dust that now filled the air. Asriel's attacker might have killed him, had the guard not been present. That thought was… disturbing.

"Wha.. what happened?" Chara said before a small bit of coughing, obviously unaware they should have been holding their breath until the monster's airborne remains settled.

"Don't worry about it?" Asriel responded in the best neutral tone he could muster. He didn't want to burden them with the knowledged that they had been attacked again… and were now breathing what was left of said attacker.

After some time, Asriel, Chara, the guard, and the River Person managed to all fit inside the tiny boat and get going back to the castle. Chara was far away all the time and now they were curled up against Asriel, fast asleep. Asriel would be lying if he said this wasn't even a bit weird and, frankly, uncomfortable for him. It made him feel weak, like he was being drained of his strength.

When the boat reached the normal stop, near the castle, getting out of the boat was a lot harder. The guard and the River Person stood back as Asriel tried to pull Chara, who was not waking up, from the boat. He even tried to slap them lightly on the cheek to rouse them. Then a second time with a bit more force. Still nothing and he didn't push it any further. The idea didn't sit right with him.

Finally he got Chara out by grabbing under their arms and pulling hard. He literally had to drag them the rest of the way home. Not to mention, this part of the journey was the worst. But, don't mistake Hotland for being the good part, that part was just the _least bad_.

Chara, Asriel, who was dragging them along, and the guard had to walk through a small portion of the city to reach the Castle's backdoor. Various monsters from the city surged forward. There were a _lot_ more than usual. The crowd was so dense, Asriel couldn't see where he was going and had to rely on the guard's navigation.

The guard drew its' fire sword and proceeded to feign jabs at the crowd in an effort to get them to back off. There the typical yelling about how Asriel was a traitor and unfit to be the future king, however, today it was deafening. He was trying to take slow breaths in order to remain calm. His hands were clenched.

He may have incinerated all of them if had the power to do so. The couldn't. He and the guard were almost at the tunnel. More guards standing by the entrance rushed forward and, with some effort, managed to disperse the crowd.

The tunnel was very plain with only flat grey walls and a few touches, a decently sized wooden door lay at the other end, not too far away. Asriel eyed the guards positioned in twos, standing apart in increments. It looked like there were a lot less than before. The escort left as they the doors opened to let Asriel and Chara pass through. The yelling behind him was picking up again, but he didn't care.

When he got to the tree in front of the miniature home within the castle, Chara stirred. Asriel realized he felt something wet on one of his hands. It was the hand that gripped Chara's arm. It was red and moist. Asriel hadn't even considered Chara after he got them out of the boat. He must have been so angry, that his nails broke the skin on the back of their hand without him noticing.

Chara regained enough conscious to stand on their own and push away slightly, trying to blink themselves awake. They winced and sucked air through their teeth. Their good hand gripped their bloodied one.

"Chara, look, I, Um… I didn't mean to do that." Asriel sputtered, half-expecting them to run off, now that they were awake. Asriel was absent mindedly trying to rub the blood off his soaked hand by wiping it against his shirt. Why were humans so ugly when they get hurt? What with their bruises and marks and fluids…

"What happened?" Chara responded, now rubbing their forehead.

"I may have been gripping you a bit too tightly. Oh, and I didn't mean it." He said, realizing his comment sounded a bit too much like an afterthought. Chara was surely going to leave now.

"It's okay," they said. Asriel tilted his head, not expecting this. Then he remembered something, and his mood darkened.

"Chara, what did Gaster do to you? Are you okay?" He said, thinking that the crazy doctor would soon be on the 'to-be-incinerated list.'

"Uhm," they said closing their eyes tightly, "I think… wait, now I remember." They opened their eyes. "Gaster put this weird dome-shaped thing up to my chest and…"

"And..?" Asriel said, taking a step forward.

"... then It made me feel really tired."

"... that's it?" Asriel was dumbfounded.

"Those hand things took a bunch of notes and pressed buttons on the machine, but… yes."

"And you're sure you're okay..?" Was it possible Gaster made less sense than Chara? Or was the Doctor somehow messing with Chara's mind? That thought sent a chill down Asriel's spine.

"I… I guess I have a bit of a headache."

"Well…" Asriel said, trying to collect his thoughts, "hey, maybe you should go to our room and lie down. I can get a bandage for your hand. Sorry again about that."

"Actually… could I ask you something?" they said timidly. Their eyes turned away in typical fashion.

"Yeah, sure."

"Remember when you did those mean things to me awhile ago?" Asriel tensed.

"Yes." Asriel said cautiously.

"Why... did you stop?"

"I…" he blinked twice. His head started to hurt as he tried hard to find an answer.

"Are you scared of me?"

"What? No," he said. That wasn't it, or at least that wasn't quite it? If anything, _he_ could have killed _them_ at anytime… but he didn't. "I mean, you didn't kill me…" the words in his mouth tasted bad, "So… I thought I owed it to you to stop." It sounded reasonable, but something still wasn't quite right.

"Really?" they said, looking back with a saddened, almost disappointed expression on their face. "That's all? You were just paying back a debt?"

"I…" Asriel turned away, trying to think. Now it didn't sound good _at all_. His brain was coming up empty. He wanted this feeling to go away. "Hey, uh… could we go now? I kinda-"

"Please, I want to know," Chara implored.

"Fine, fine…" he drifted off again. He forced himself to relax and let himself get deeper and deeper into thought. Still nothing.

"There's something I want to tell you," Chara said solemnly.

"Yeah?" Asriel said, refocusing his eyes.

"For a really long time now…" They began to pick at their shirt with their reddened hands. "I thought you trying to mess with me."

"What… does that mean?"

"I thought you were lying all the time…"

"Lying about what? Why- what are you talking about?" Now Asriel had a headache.

"You cause a lot of accidents," they said, holding up their cut hand, "I thought they… weren't accidents… and you were just trying to disguise how much you liked hurting me…" Asriel took a step back, as the gears turned in his head.

"S-so, you…" this was bothering him much more than it should have. He would have wanted to kill anyone trying to slander him, but now he just felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He didn't even notice that Chara had walked up to him. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move.

Chara surprised Asriel again when they took his red stained hand with their own. "I thought you were like the bad people on the surface," the said somberly, their touch seemed to sap his strength like before, but much more now. "So... were you really just paying me back?" They let his hand go.

"N-no… I-It's something else," Asriel stammered. Chara looked at him, their sad eyes looking a bit hopeful. There was a solid minute of full silence before Asriel had any semblance of an answer. "After we almost killed each other, I think I realized something. Maybe for a time I liked to cause you pain, but then I… I think-"

A thundering sound rang out, cutting the moment short. Chara pulled back, looking at him expectantly, but Asriel didn't return the gaze, his instincts made him look around for the source of the noise. Then it happened again, but much louder. There was a distant yell, it sounded like one of the guards.

"Go inside," Asriel told Chara in a serious tone.

"B-but-" Chara was silenced by Asriel's curt look.

"Really, you need to go. I'll be there soon."

"O-okay…" they said as they slowly walked backwards before turning and running into house.

Not before long, a group of guards, all clad in armor, came rushing toward the sound. It was the tunnel entrance. Asriel even saw the Royal Guard's captain herself. Melusyne, a humanoid body with three slender but powerful arms at her side, clad in black armor, slithered along on two green serpent tails towards the tunnel.

If she was here, then this was serious. Asriel, his curiosity getting the better of him, decided to follow. He stayed back and observed as a battle between guards and some other nameless monsters unfolded before him. It looked like the tunnel door had been completely demolished.

Something broke free from the brawl and lunged at Asriel. He reacted much quicker than earlier in the day. The attacker ran head-first into a ball of fire that erupted from Asriel's hand. Dust scattered along the floor. He wasn't even looking at it anymore as something much more interesting caught his attention.

He was watching in awe as Melusyne, Captain of the Royal Guard, proceeded to almost single handedly regain control of the battle and strike down monster after monster that poured through the open door. One slash from a single one of her multiple curved swords was enough to kill. The barrage of three arms and resulting shower of dust looked like a hurricane.

In fact, 'battle' wasn't really the right word to describe the whole thing. It was almost a complete slaughter. Soon the few remaining monsters threw down their weapons and got to the floor in submission. The guards surrounded them. Melusyne held her blades high, looking as if she was about to finish the job, but then she lowered them down and turned slowly to look at Asriel, her face obscured by her helmet.

"What should we do with them, your highness?" the Captain said in a sort of hiss before bowing before the prince. He was stunned. Then a thought crept into his head. Now he does have his chance to kill the ones who tried to insult, attack, and even attempt to murder him. Asriel brought a thumb up to his neck and was about to draw a line when one of the monsters spoke.

"Wait," said a rocky looking orange monster with three stick-legs and two large pincers, "My prince, I apologize for our transgressions. However this was all my Idea, If you must take vengeance, I understand, but please, I ask that you kill only me and spare my followers. They were acting under my guidance." The monster bowed a series of spikes that seemed to represent its' head, almost touching the floor. Asriel still didn't move his finger, but he did relax slightly. Besides, now he was curious...

"Why did you think it was a good Idea to attack the castle?" Asriel spat.

"We wanted the human."

"Chara? What about Chara?" Asriel's eyes narrowed to slits.

"My prince-"

"Don't call me that!"

"Your… highness?"

"Better." Asriel hated being called 'prince' anyway.

"Your highness, surely you must know that humans are the enemy." Things Asriel had already heard a thousand times before. He almost gave the order to kill right then and there.

"What of it?" Asriel pressed.

"What of it? If the human in your possession were dead, the entirety of the monster race could be freed!" the monster said, agitated.

"Mind your tongue before royalty!" Melusyne cut in. Asriel wanted to tell her to shut it, but he had more important things to say.

"Look here, that's not for you to decide. Got it? The human is mine... so mind your own business! I get to decide what happens, and you have to obey my decision, whether you like it or not!" Asriel realized that thinking of Chara like this made him feel like his chest was slowly twisting into a knot. Still, he wanted this creature to know its' place.

"You cannot possibly Ignore what the humans have done!" The creature said, refusing to back off, even in the positions that it was. Asriel wanted to make sure his dominance was known before he had the creature ended. However, It seemed that using words wasn't going to work. Words never worked. Asriel had to use the methods he had been taught by his father. Asriel tossed a small ball of flame at the monster. The thing writhed on the floor, but when the flames faded, and dusty burned marks remained on the torso, it raised its' head back up immediately.

"They attacked us first and without warning!" It continued "They spared none of us!" Asriel shot another ball of flames at the creature. The fire engulfed one of Its' three legs and the monster let out a yelp and toppled over, the leg that kept it standing upright was completely gone. The fire soon faded and more burns remained.

"I… used to have six legs before the war," the monster continued. This made Asriel pause. He couldn't help but notice the unnatural, stubby lumps on the bottom of its' body. "I also used to have… children. They were tortured to death merely because it amused the humans. I had to watch it. After we lost the war, we realized we had to replicate their harsh ways in order to survive. You know this yourself, do you not?… The human you possess... we must not show hesitancy."

"... your right," Asriel responded with grave seriousness. He turned his head to Melusyne and held his thumb up to his neck-

"Asriel?" A meager voice called. Asriel was about to lob a fireball in the direction of whoever interrupted him when he stopped himself just short. He had gotten too into things and was about to incinerate Chara. He really hoped they were too far away to see him extinguish the flame… but it took longer than it should have. Was it possible Chara grow up to… No, what was he thinking?

"You should go." Asriel shouted back, trying to keep his voice impassive. This next part was necessary and he didn't want them to watch.

"But… what's going on?"

"I said go!" Asriel repeated, harsher than he intended. They hung their head low but didn't leave. Asriel closed his eyes and took a painful breath. He just wanted the Chara stuff and the Underground stuff to be separate. But now, just when he thought they were feeling better, he messed it up. He turned back to the monster, all eyes looking back at him.

"You…" he started, not knowing where his speech would take him, "I'm not gonna kill you not because I'm nice, but because of this human you are trying to murder. I really don't want them to see this. Now, you need to go back to your little group of friends and tell them something." The strange monster leaned forward a bit."Tell them this human Isn't like the others. They are…"

Now Asriel couldn't help thinking the human stories. Even Chara's vague, but disturbing descriptions added to this thought. Asriel couldn't help but notice a stump on the side of Melusyne's form where it looked like an arm could have been. But then Asriel realized, "They are the exception, and I have decided I don't want to hurt them. Now leave. If I ever see you again, you won't get a second chance."

The creature spoke, "Thank you, your high-"

"Get out," Asriel said flatly. The guards became active and dragged all the monsters out through the open hole where the door once stood. Other guards began partially mending the door with various bits and pieces.

"I don't think Asgore would have approved of that," the captain said, almost matter-of-factly.

"I don't want to hear it."

"More will come," She turned and left without saying another word. Eventually, the rest of the guards vanished from sight too. Then there was just Asriel and Chara, standing some distance apart. Asriel slowly started to walk until he was right up to Chara. They made no move to run away.

"Did you hear that part?" Asriel said, the anger completely drained from him.

"You... really don't want to hurt me?" They said, a mix of sadness, happiness and relief shown in their eyes.

"Yeah… really," Asriel said, feeling like some sort of weight was lifted of his shoulders. Before he could think about anything else, Chara wrapped their arms around him. His instincts tried to pull him back, but he was completely stunned. Half dazed, he slowly raised his arms to hug Chara back. They were shaking.

"Thank you," Chara said, choking on the words.

"It's okay, I…" he didn't finish the sentence. Thinking about how he knowingly hurt them not too long ago stung. Yet here Chara was, forgiving him for things that had been haunting them for probably their whole life. All Asriel wanted to do at that moment was to keep those feelings away from them. He closed his eyes and embraced them a little tighter.

* * *

Authors Note: For early looks at future chapters, and more stories by me, follow me on tumblr! Emeraldlazers . tumblr . com


	8. Chapter 8 - Asgore

Damn that boy sometimes. Did he not see the consequences of letting an assassin live? As if there were not enough people trying to kill Asgore and his family. Now there are even more.

Asgore was going to meet his third challenge of the day. He had long since stopped taking off his armor after a challenge; it is a waste of time. The gash in his side didn't make things any easier. He was just a bit too slow in one battle and a perfectly placed sword strike pierced through the chainmail connecting two plates of armor. It wasn't fatal, or even that bad of a cut, but it sent a deadly message. The message that the king could be killed.

He was once again at the great wooden doors. He had a group of guards standing ready, in case something went wrong. It was a small group, the forces spread thin trying to quell what was turning into a full-on rebellion. Maybe if Asgore dealt harsher punishment with earlier challenges, things wouldn't have gotten this out of hand. However, now it is too late and regret would aid in nothing.

All that mattered was the here and the now. The doors were slowly opening and Asgore took a deep breath when it looked like the entire bridge was filled with monsters. Asgore steeled himself, drew his weapon from a burst of flame and stepped through the doors.

Amongst the deafening yells, and sea of monsters of every shape and size, Asgore immediately knew the challenger. What exactly he saw made him grip the trident with such force. Everything had finally pushed him too far.

Being forced to fight for his life day after day. To be called unfit to be king. To have the entirety of those under his rule to turn against him. The constant weight of anger and frustration. But the last straw was seeing a member of the Royal Guard drawing its' sword against the king of the Underground as a challenge to the death.

Unspoken rules be damned. Asgore, not waiting for another word to be spoken by anyone, threw his spear directly at the traitorous guard. It didn't even have time to react. The spear exploded, vaporizing it and every monster around it in a burst of flame. When the fire died down, the view in front of him was so full of dust, the monsters behind it could barely be made out. It was much more quiet now. Then it was Asgore who didn't have time to react.

Three small sticks flew out of the smoke, aimed for Asgore. One bounced harmlessly off his chestpiece. Another missed entirely, but a third barely managed to slip between two plates of armor on Asgore's upper arm. Grunting, he immediately pulled it out and felt like his entire arm was submerged in boiling water. He looked up as the sound of the monsters grew infinitely louder.

It seemed like every one of them had begun to charge. Asgore raised both hands and conjured a spell of fire as fast as he could. Flames rushed to meet the onslaught. But the waves of fire were quickly petering out. The poison was crude, cowardly, but painfully effective in draining the king of his strength. Asgore was backpedaling, still trying to keep a wall of flame between him and the army of attackers, now stalled, yet still managing to advance.

Asgore was through the door, and already at the limits of his energy. He could hear the clank of metal boots on the stone floor as guards lined up behind him. Now Asgore couldn't help but consider the possibility that one of them may stab him in the back at any moment.

"Close the door!" Asgore's strained voice commanded. The doors were in motion, but not fast enough. Asgore's vision was beginning to blur. He knew that there couldn't be enough poison to kill him outright, but he was left with absolutely no choice but to let the spell fade. The fire vanished, leaving Asgore sweating, breathing heavily, facing toward an army with nothing in between; an army that renewed their charge.

The many monsters were spilling through the gap in the door as the few guards rushed to establish lines and meet the enemy. Asgore kept retreating, he felt as if it was hard to keep his feet on the ground. The sound of metal striking metal crashed through the corridor. The guards, more experienced and better equipped, managed to hold the line. The doors had stopped closing. The attackers were wedged in between, keeping it open.

Asgore had to do something. He focused on casting another fire spell and a very weak ball of flame jittered to life in his palm. It wasn't nearly enough to really help. Just then, a monster, brandishing many swords, managed to jump over the assembled guards and rushed at Asgore. The monster help its' swords high and Asgore sluggishly was able to raise his hand in time and blast it square in the chest.

Even though the king was weak, he still expected it to be a killing blow. Instead, the two headed, four armed opponent merely staggered back, its' chest was giving off smoke. It was almost an embarrassing display; was this really all Asgore could muster? The king snarled and strained to raise his fists, ready to try and fight hand-to-sword. The monster regained its' footing and drew closer again, when sharp metal exploded from its' stomach.

Confused, Asgore watch the monster half slide, half melt off the sword as a guard, the familiar glowing suit of armor, stood behind it, its sword held in its' disembodied gauntlet. Asgore might have wanted to tear it to pieces for upstanding him in the middle of his fight, but he was too tired to really care. Besides, he had better things to worry about; the line of guards were being pushed back.

"Where is the captain?" Asgore demanded in the strongest done he could.

"My liege, you sent her to assassinate the one in Snowdin," responded the guard. Damn, how had Asgore forgotten? A monster had declared itself be the new king and that all monsters should follow it instead of the Royal Family. Asgore had to have that one killed. Now it was apparent he should have delayed that order.

Asgore pointed a figure behind the guard as another monster approached. The suit of armor turned to fight, leaving Asgore trying to figure out how to stop this hostile takeover. More reinforcements would be arriving after an event such as this, but how many more? That wouldn't matter if the door remained open. So what-

"Having trouble darling?" a calm voice said through the cacophony of battle. Asgore managed to turn and, through his impaired vision, saw something that made him freeze in place: his wife. Asgore tried to answer but couldn't think: what was she doing here? Yet Toriel didn't exactly look concerned; she was completely straight-faced.

As if losing interest, Toriel looked away from him, toward the door. She brought her hands together, the space in between glowing brightly. Then she thrust her hands out and a ball of fire arced through the hall toward the unsuspecting group of monsters blocking to door.

Asgore had to turn away as the burst of intense heat from the explosion made his eyes water. When we looked back, he saw that the whole room was stunned. Monsters and guards that were not hit were either paralyzed in place, on their backs, or partially burned. The air was dense with gray.

"The Doors!" Asgore shouted as loud as he could. Then everyone or everything was on in motion again. The doors, now unobstructed started to finish closing the gap. The fighting was renewed inside, but monsters outside were hesitant to enter. Another ball of heat arced past Asgore toward the remaining attackers and more red, orange and gray filled the air. Asgore pulled his cape up to his mouth to breathe easier.

A boom of the charred doors closing fully echoed through the large hallway. It was only a few more minutes before the rest of the traitors were no more. They didn't even get a chance to surrender before the guards were done. Asgore probably wouldn't have spared them anyway. He would make sure to learn from his mistakes.

Asgore moved a short distance and put his hand against the wall to guide himself to the floor. Standing was getting unbearable, and not doing so provided some relief. He generally heard the scuffle of boots moving around trying to reinforce the door, but he was unconcerned. He didn't really know what to feel. A shadow covered his view, and he looked up to see his wife.

"You should really have told me how bad this was getting," She said sternly.

"This was my responsibility to deal with. I didn't want you involved," responded Asgore, having trouble sounding in-control. It was probably the poison. There was a pause before Toriel responded.

"Why are you so weak?" Her words were harsh. It wasn't the poison she was talking about. "I thought you could have easily handled this." It would have infuriated Asgore to be called weak, but Toriel had more power over him than he would admit.

"The cowards poisoned me." Asgore said, having trouble keeping his bloodshot eyes on Toriel.

"Poison..." Toriel looked away, in thought. "Hm…"

"Well?" Asgore prompted a bit impatiently. She looked back, her expression was much softer; jarringly so.

"I know you like to handle things on your own but… just be careful, darling." Asgore didn't respond. "If you need help, please ask me. We rule together, remember?" She said earnestly. She was right, but…

"Yet you just accused me of being weak. Now you tell me to ask you for help?" Asgore was clenching his fists. Toriel's expression went a bit colder again.

"It is because you always choose to act alone that you are weak." The words hit Asgore like a punch in the stomach. He felt himself flatten against the wall. Toriel looked even colder. "Especially now, you choose to do this without even telling me that our own people are turning against us." Asgore's mind was swimming, but no response was in there. "So tell me, what are we up against?" Seeing no other choice, Asgore eventually spoke.

"The entire underground is rising up against the family. I even saw a guard in the crowd outside." Asgore felt a bit uncomfortable telling Toriel this.

"Why?" Toriel's said curtly. Asgore really would rather not burden her with this information. If she likes the human even a fraction of the amount that she loves her own child, then this may be too much for her.

"I think it would be best that you-"

"Darling, I wasn't asking. Tell me." Asgore froze, then found the words.

"Very well… they think we are betraying them by allowing the human to live. They want us to kill it." Now it was Toriel who froze. This is exactly why Asgore had to keep her out of this. "Tori, I think you should go back to our home. I can handle this." Her eyes refocused on him.

"You think I don't already know about Chara?"

"Tori I-"

"Do not call me that, Dreemurr. Now, I will only ask one more time, how do we end this?" Toriel's eyes were drilling holes in Asgore's. Asgore already knew what had to be done to put a stop to the rebellion. She would protest; maybe even try to stop him. Asgore would tell her later, but for now, she needed to stay out of this if it was going to work.

"Go home Toriel," Asgore growled. He couldn't back down. Toriel silently glared at him. Then she walked away and said nothing more, leaving Asgore, still in great pain, sitting against the wall.

The rebellion. There isn't anything Asgore could do to stop this. All the monsters want Chara to die and would not stop until it happened. But it isn't that simple; if Asgore were to kill the human now, it would only look like a sign of submission.

Even though he would, in theory, become more powerful with the possession of the soul, that likely wouldn't stop the monsters from continue to challenge him. Asgore's strength never stopped them before. There would be more challenges from the monsters; they are never satisfied. Or they would all simply leave once freed and Asgore and his family would rule over a non-existent kingdom.

It was almost obvious: Asgore could never truly be the leader of the monsters now. However, while kings rise and fall, a father always provides for his family. If he could not be king, then so be it. However, Asriel still could. To show he was ready to accept the mantle of king, he would have to prove himself better than the current _unfit king._

Asgore couldn't care if Asriel hated him if it meant protecting his family line. Even if Asriel had to sacrifice his own happiness, it was for his own good. Asriel would have to be the one to free the monsters. To do this, he must… he must… no, it cannot be avoided. Asgore must make his son do this for the sake of the family. Asriel must kill Chara himself.

* * *

For sneak peaks at future chapters and more, follow me on tumblr. My name there is the same here: "emeraldlazers"


	9. Chapter 9 - Gaster

Interesting... albeit inconvenient. Gaster watched, out of sight, as the king wrote down his plan onto a sheet of paper amongst a disorganized stack. The letter, addressed to Gaster himself, demanded that the doctor show more signs of progress from his research. Time was limited, It seemed; the lifespan of the human specimen would be less than the doctor had hoped. From king's writing, it was apparent that a set date was not planned, but it would undoubtedly be with the near future. Gaster would have preferred more time; the preparations had only recently been finished. Still, as long as the prince was not told yet, getting him to cooperate would be much easier.

Gaster switched from his view of the throne room to the prince's. The specimen in question was asleep on the bed. The shoulder wound it had seemed to be healing nicely. However, there was one problem with the tray of half-eaten food on the floor. It contained a piece of bread with various bite marks, a few stray vegetables, no meat; Insufficient nutrients. Still, its' body would likely be strong enough for the experiments.

Gaster's fragmented perspective faded in and out of darkness to various other parts of the castle. The main hall, the garden, all the different rooms in the small house within the castle. Yet he still could not locate the young prince. It was approaching the appointed time, but the prince and the human had not yet disembarked to the laboratory.

With little else of value to gain, Gaster let the visions of the castle fade. His field of view returned to its' normal, fragmented perception of various parts of the lab. The physical body of the doctor was standing in the cramped office that was used on many occasions for performing tests on the specimen. However, the doctor was able to view the currently unnamed machine. The doctor was about to begin another test on its' systems to insure it worked without fault.

Gaster willed the floating arsenal of hands to the dials. As each one moved, the corresponding portion of his field of view moved with it along with the actions and locations of every one. The hands were a sort of eyes, more efficient than the biological ones given to him upon his time of creation. After the check, he concluded that everything was in perfect working order.

After another peek into the inner walls of the castle. He noticed the prince had finally returned. Unfortunately, Gaster's coverage did not extend to the whole of the Underground. It covered most, but not all. This was something the doctor wanted to remedy at some point, but It was low on the list of priorities due to the presence of a live human specimen.

The prince was proving to be vexing. Now he was in the presence of the human but no action was being taken to escort it to the laboratory. But soon. _Soon._ The doctor needed to exercise patience.

Finally, the prince and the human only now decided it was time to leave. It was already five and a half minutes passed the designated arrival time. How very unprofessional. All Gaster was able to do at that moment was to do the inefficient practice of letting his mind wander. _Daydreaming._ The machine had undergone various checks, all resulting positive and Gaster had reviewed his notes many times. No errors, nothing to be tweaked. Just waiting, and thinking. Thinking of how this day would be a breakthrough for science as a whole. Yet there were other thoughts that picked at the doctor's complex mind.

Gaster recalls the conversation with a former assistant over her theories on the concept of _magic_. Magic was used to describe the extra-ordinary actions some monsters could do at a distance, like the royal family's mastery of fire. Yet it was also used to describe the complex chemical and physical compounds that comprise monster anatomy. Magic was also used to describe the undefinable like the concepts of _love_ and _happiness_ being considered a form of magic. The assistant presented the Idea that all these separate concepts of magic were interconnected with the physical as an overarching power that governed the universe.

It was likely the single most non-sensical idea Gaster had ever heard. This was the realization that the assistants were only a burden. This conversation would be remembered simply as "the twenty four," after the number of times the former assistant grossly overused the term. After _the twenty four_ , Gaster herded all the assistants to the lower levels of the lab and delegated them all to position of "test subjects." Their contribution proved more useful than that of their unfinished experiments.

The human specimen sat on the table and the prince stood by the elevator doors.

"I'm going to need both of you to remain completely silent for this next part." Gaster said.

"Why?" Said the prince somewhat defensively. Gaster willed a few of the extra appendages to grab and turn on a handheld mechanism.

"Sound will interfere with the device. It is very important that you remain quiet." Gaster noted the glances among the prince and the specimen.

"Fine," the prince responded flatly.

Gaster then preceded to do the most mundane and redundant tests he could think of. Basic medical practice such as tapping the human's knee to test reactions or even taking measurements that the Doctor already had on record. Things were beginning to take effect.

The young prince was beginning to get a bit antsy, fidgeting with his fingers and tugging at his sweater. Gaster waited a few more minutes before turning off the device.

"My prince, the test has ended Gaster began. "However, there will be another similar one shortly. You may leave now if you wish to no witness something that bores you."

"I'll stay," was the frank, unexpected answer. This would not do. The prince needed to be in a position where he could not interfere. Murder would not be useful to the doctor since it would only lead to investigation from the Royal Family, along with decreased cooperation from the human specimen. If the prince were to leave and not witness the experiment, he would be more likely to return with it another time.

"Very well," responded Gaster without missing a beat. The doctor, of course, already had his backup plan, albeit slightly more contrived. Roughly another hour passed of complete and total silence. During which, Gaster took what was essentially a powered, but unused, drill and held it up to various parts of the specimen's body as if pretending it was an important instrument for study. On multiple occasions, the hand controlling the device would subtly jostle the battery, causing it to emit a piercing warning sound. After a time, and with the knowledge that the prince had taken notice of the sound, Gaster spoke.

"It appears this instrument is not performing its' function. My prince, I believe your presence is causing interference with the measurements." Gaster said matter-of-factly.

"And…?" responded the prince, hints of confusion pulling at his face.

"Would it be too much to ask you to leave for a time?" Gaster noted the long gaze that the prince and the specimen held.

"It's okay," said the specimen, breaking, what Gaster presumed to be, an uncomfortable silence. "I'll be fine."

"... are you sure?" The prince responded hesitantly.

"Yeah, It doesn't even feel bad. Actually, I don't even feel anything at all. We can talk later, okay?" Which the specimen followed with a reassuring smile. The way the muscles in face moved told Gaster that the specimen was being genuine. The prince wrapped his finger on the wall he was leaning against before he pushed off from it.

"If you say so. So how-" Before he could finish the thought, Gaster willed a hand over to the control panel on the door. It rapidly input the sequence to have the elevator go to the upper level of the lab and not come back. The prince's tensed up only for a moment, took one last long look at the specimen, then walked inside the opened doors.

As soon as the elevator doors close, Gaster wasted no time. The specimen, unsurprisingly, jumped as two of Gaster's hands raised it to its' feet. Another opened the small door at the corner of the room.

"H-hey, wait-" the specimen protested as Gaster willed the hands, still holding the specimen's shoulders, to move toward the dark opening. Finally, It was time. The door closed behind the specimen.

Still in the first room, a hand pushed a switch. Gaster was facing the glass window on the same wall as the door. A control panel slid out of the wall and rested on the table. At the same time, the metal plates covering the glass slowly slid to the side and the lights of the newly revealed room flickered on. The size was much bigger than the small excuse for an office. Yet it looked small due to the giant machine that took up most of the space. In the center, where the specimen was now being dragged to, was an operating table.

"What are y-you doing?" the specimen continued to ask, the genuine sense of safety from the earlier smile completely gone. Gaster did not have the time to waste on pointless answers.

Gaster, focusing on manipulating the particles in the air into more useful states of matter, summoned more hands; one for each limb. The total of six hands, two under the shoulders, one for each wrist, and one for each ankle, grabbed the specimen and set it, arms out, onto the table. A hand inside the office pressed a button on the control panel on the wall and metal clamps restrained the specimen's arms and legs.

Over were the days of the mythical and the unexplained. Everything happens for a reason, or complete randomness. Soon, Gaster would hold the knowledge of all living things. The soul, the very essence of life, soon all its' secrets would be quantifiable. Physics, chemistry, logic, all things can be explained.

The specimen was continuing to orally protest and physically struggled, exhibiting increasing signs of anxiety, but Gaster paid it no mind. A hand pressed a series of buttons and the machine initiated its' start up procedure. Various metal plates, covered in lights and instruments converged over the specimen. When it was fully surrounded, one might say the machine resembled some sort of jaw of some wild beast, on the cusp of biting down on its' prey. Observations could still be taken as the inside was visible through a small gap.

Another series of buttons was pressed. Two metal rods descended from the roof of the machine and pressed firmly into the specimen's shoulders. Otherwise the squirming and movement would throw off the machine. It seemed the specimen was completely immobilized. Everything was in place.

Gaster very rarely indulged himself, but on the edge of learning such wonderful information, the doctor decided he would relish a small act of sentiment. He wanted to see his grand experiment with his own eyes, not those of the artificial hands he often uses for sight. Still ignoring the specimen's cries, Gaster concentrated. The fragmented vision that he perpetually saw faded into utter darkness. Then the doctor felt something.

The various parts of Gaster's face cracked and popped as it elongated. It felt like the mouth and jaw were being awkwardly pulled to the floor, and the crown of the head to the ceiling. There was even the odd sensation of the cracks widening in his eye sockets. Then vision slowly returned, blurry and out of focus. The head slowly moved around, joints in the neck popping from extended disuse.

Gaster looked through the windows with original, non-imitation eyes and saw that the specimen had managed to gaze back. The angle was awkward, as the specimen was still strapped to a table, but the two beings still locked eyes for a moment. The only difference was the specimen looked like it was on the edge of insanity, while Gaster had never felt more sobered.

One more series of buttons was pressed and the machine reached its final stages of preparation. A red light began to bathe the specimen, even spilling into the surrounding room and the office where the doctor stood. The machine emitted a low hum that resonated through the very floor. Gaster could feel the vibration through the wall. So relaxing was the hum, that even the panicking specimen ceased its' movements and lay in pacified wonder for a moment.

So relaxed, Gaster observed, that it did not even notice the swirling red matter emerging from its' chest at first. Of course, it tensed when it became aware its' own soul hovering above it. Gaster was no longer focused on the specimen, but instead the physical manifestation of a human spirit. The shape of the _organ_ was hard to define, but resembled what earlier experiments had predicted it to look like. Strands of red wove around one another, weaving back down into various parts of the specimen's body. The strands, like veins, along with the red mass in the center, the soul resembled that of the human circulatory system.

Gaster's painstaking efforts of using low powered beams of various particles to map out the soul was finally paying off. Even the one specific substance the soul possessed that seemed to extend into the fourth dimension was accounted for. Yet, the doctor noticed something odd when checking a graph on a computer monitor.

The _Chara_ specimen appeared to have more of the specific substance that allowed for this spacial and temporal abnormality than was predicted. Perhaps Gaster's calculations were wrong, or maybe it varied from human to human? If Gaster extracted samples of this substance would the specimen lose control of some special ability associated with it, and could Gaster gain it instead? Questions, questions that could be answered. How _very_ interesting. Gaster wanted all of it.

Magic, impossibility, faith, emotion, love; all vices created by the weak-minded in an excuse to not search the for clear and hard truth. Gaster would not let such things as the monster king's desire for surface domination to get in the way of research. The doctor would tear the specimen's essence to pieces before giving up the opportunity for study. Asgore would take notice and actions would be taken by him at some point, but the pros far outweighed the cons.

The preparations were complete. Gaster with original physical hands pulled the lever. What looked like hundreds of hair-sized tubes immediately shot out of the various insides of the machine's inner chamber and converged on the mass at the center of the soul. The noise assaulting the doctor's sense of hearing was somewhat annoying. Not the sounds the machine and its various components made, but of the loud sounds the specimen was making to express its increasing _discomfort._

But yes, _yes!_ Gaster watched through the window at the corner of the room as a glass tank slowly filled with an ethereal red solution. The doctor let his natural limbs go slack, returning to the almost lifeless form of greater efficiency. Now multi-tasking; checking charts, various components of machinery, the previously mentioned glass tank, all like it was a normal run-of-the-mill day of testing.

There only difference was that this experiment did not end horribly, unlike when the doctor performed this same experiment on himself a long time ago, back when he could truly consider himself a "he." In fact, to add onto what he would gain from this event, Gaster learned a little bit about the capacity that the human lungs and vocal cords had for maintaining a strong tone for an extended period of time.

After the first hour, the wild cries had diminished but were still very _clearly_ audible. By the second, It was a fit of labored breathing, wheezing, coughing and more attempts at continuing their likely involuntary expression of their current state. By the third, it was a few moans, whimpers and half-hearted attempts to still struggle free. By the fourth, its' expression was completely slack, there was no noise what so-ever. Gaster knew from experience that the sensation was not any less severe for the specimen, even if the body could not accurately express it.

The glass tank, was now almost completely red with solution. Readings seemed to indicate there is still much more available for extraction. However, the doctor decided to deactivate the machine, using the more efficient floating hands. He had already gone over the scheduled time. The last thing he wanted was to be searched by the Royal Guard due to lack of punctuality.

The various tubes removed themselves from the specimen's soul. The lights faded, and the humming stopped. The various metal plates that made up the small chamber retracted. Now the machine looked like it was nothing more than some _thing_ that had unused for years. The only light now was the brilliant crimson which emanated from the nearly full tank.

Oh, what answers it held. One could almost call the sight beautiful. One of lesser intelligence, of course. The doctor had no further use for the human at this time. The clamps that held down the specimen's arms unlatched with a click. It still did not move. Gaster, almost lazily, used the extra appendages to scoop up the specimen, type in the correct code onto the elevator control panel and dump the human inside when the doors opened. There was not even any concern as to its' survival. Perhaps a fresh specimen such as it could be useful later, but for _now_ , even if it was dead, the Royal Scientist was more than content.


	10. Chapter 10 - Asriel

Not good. _Not good._ Asriel continued to pound on the elevator door as hard as he could. Why wouldn't it open? It's been so long, and yet, nothing. That freak could be doing anything right now.

"Hey, are you listening?" Asriel yelled to whoever would hear. "You better let me back in or else!" He punched the door with all of his strength. He winced and reeled back and clutching his furred hand.

Managing to overcome the urge to keep scrunching up his face, Asriel looked up at the door. A part of him was surprised to see he had actually made a dent. Not big enough to really matter as it was almost unnoticeable. Asriel would need to break both of his arms off to get through it.

Defeated, Asriel let himself keel down to the floor and sit. Sometimes he just wanted to punch that stupid doctor in his weird face. Anything could be happening to Chara right now… business as usual then.

Asriel absentmindedly rubbed his knuckles. It didn't really help ease the pain. Suddenly, there was a sound; a constant hum, getting louder... The elevator. Finally, then he and Chara could leave for the day. To go where? Asriel couldn't say other than simply _not here_. When the doors opened, every point on Asriel's body froze.

"Ch-Chara?" Asriel stuttered. There was no movement from the body strewn over the metallic floor of the elevator. Asriel's brain finally started working and he ran over to Chara, eyes wide with uncontrolled breathing. He nearly fell over them.

"Chara!" Asriel said louder. A part of him wanted to think this was normal; that it would end soon and Chara would get up like everything was fine and normal. But Asriel knew, he just did, that it was not the case. Their skin was pale, almost porcelain white, their features were darkened and sunken in, but above all, it was their dead eyes that were the creepiest.

Their eyes were just… not right. Those that were forever burned into Asriel's memory so long ago; he knew they were different. Back then they were brown with only a faint bit of redness around the edges. Now the color in Chara's eyes were a brilliant red, almost glowing. The color of their human blood.

"Wake up!" Asriel shouted. He grabbed Chara's shoulders and shook them, trying to get them to do something; anything. Asriel's already unsteady breathing was getting faster and heavier. Asriel shook harder. "Come on, Chara!" He tried to keep the grim thoughts out of his head.

Asriel lightly slapped Chara on the cheek multiple times, each time getting adding a bit more force. He just wanted some sort of reaction. He knew that now he was hitting them so hard as to be painful, but Asriel needed something to keep away the thought that Chara might be dead. At least they weren't turning to dust, but humans are so different. Didn't he hear somewhere that human bodies might not break down when they…

He stopped his wild hitting; it was leading to nothing. He didn't want to think about it, he just didn't. He rested his paw on their skin… it was very cold.

"Chara…" Asriel began, not realizing how much despair was in his voice until he said it. Asriel closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to clear his head. "Chara," he repeated a little more level headed. "You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna..." his mind wandered off then he pulled it back. "I am going to protect you."

Asriel gripped the fabric of their sweater. He needed to focus, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to tear Gaster- no, that thing to pieces. Bit by bit until there was nothing left. He breathed in again. No. He had to get Chara out of here first.

Asriel reached under Chara's shoulders and pulled them out of the elevator, collapsing on the ground of the laboratory. To think that the elevator might suddenly close and pull the both of them back down. The doors closed a few seconds later. Asriel held the limp form of Chara close. He remembered something and brought his face close to Chara's open mouth. Breathing, slow and shallow, but it was there.

Asriel moved his head away so that Chara could breathe the little air they were getting just a bit easier. Still, he continued to hold them. All that mattered now was getting Chara away from here. Then he could go to his parents; his dad, he would help. Chara would be safe.

Asriel hurried back over to Chara, who was still eerily unmoving. Asriel wanted to pick them up and run, but something tugged at the back of his mind. He put his hands on Chara's arm tenderly.

"I'm sorry," said Asriel earnestly. He was sorry for a lot of things. He gently wrapped Chara's delicate arms over his shoulders and hoisted them up. Something about this had a certain awful nostalgia to it. Asriel started his walk home.

...

Asriel laid the limp body of Chara down onto the bed. Their skin hadn't gotten any warmer, even after the earlier trek through Hotland. Quickly, he worked to cover them with blankets. So cold; Asriel felt a chill himself. He brushed the hair out of Chara's eyes.

"Chara…" Asriel started, "...are you still there?" Asriel looked, not actually expecting anything. However, he let out a small gasp when Chara's eyes moved to look into Asriel's own with a hint of recognition. Asriel almost tackled them with a hug. "Thank you… thank you, thank you!"

Asriel felt all the tension slip out of his body. He felt so much more relieved than he thought he would be. He lingered there just for a little bit longer before pulling back. "I'll be right back, okay? You're fine. Everything is fine." Chara blinked. That had to have meant something too. Asriel couldn't help but smile just a little bit. A rare sight.

...

"Dad!" yelled Asriel as he ran into the throne room. His father shot up from his chair in attention. "Dad, I need your help," He said, stopping a few feet from his father.

"What is it, Asriel?" Asgore said leaning forward, a look of concern on his face.

"It's Chara," Asriel started, "I took them to the lab and that doctor… thing hurt them really bad-"

Asgore's sigh halted Asriel's train of thought. The king sat back down in his throne as if he had just heard something that was nothing more than a waste of time. Asriel didn't know what to think of it.

"What?" Asriel said defensively. What was with his dad? He was acting like he didn't care.

"Son… we need to talk about Chara." The king's eyes looked baggy and worn.

"...Yeah?" Asriel said in a softer tone. The words of his father struck a strange chord. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the King's vacant eyes flicked back and forth randomly. "Well?" Asriel prompted, impatience returning.

"You're not going to like this, but know that I have thought of this very carefully." Asgore said as he stood back up, his powerful presence returning. Asriel watched carefully as his father's lips moved. With every syllable, the world felt less and less real. Asriel had his jaw agape as the king concluded his talking. This couldn't be happening.

Asriel felt as if he was looking at the mad doctor Gaster himself. The prince wanted to pretend he misheard, but he knew he heard his father correctly. Asgore wearing his full suit of armor and cape seemed to tower over Asriel, as if the king was about to strike his son down right then and there, simply because he could.

"Wh-what do you mean I have to take them back?!" Asriel shouted, every hair on his body standing on its end.

"I will not repeat myself," Asgore said, his voice as strong and impassive as a stone wall. "The doctor needs the human for study and has not informed me otherwise." Asriel was completely stunned. All logical thoughts and actions completely erased from his mind. He wanted to say and do so much, but he didn't even know what it was exactly.

"…" Asriel made a short and quiet word under his breath. So quiet, he almost didn't hear it himself.

"Speak up," said Asgore.

"I said no!" Asriel screamed suddenly. "You can't do this! I won't do it!" Asriel was ready to break his arms off on the impenetrable door that was his father.

"You must!" Asgore bellowed.

"No!" Asriel yelled again, stomping his foot down. He held up his hands, balls of fire springing to life.

"Then kill them yourself." Asgore's words plunged a knife into Asriel. His stance broke completely. The fire faded.

"…What?" said Asriel, his words no longer defiant, instead sounding like the scared and defenseless child he was at that moment.

"You heard what I said."

"I…" Asriel couldn't even comprehend. Of all things that could happen, this… "why?" was all he could say.

"If you do not, the monster wars of the past will start once again and our family will perish." The words sounded weird; alien.

"But-"

"Take their soul, and free our people. This is what you are meant to do. Even if it means making sacrifices…" Asgore said, softer. Asriel couldn't move an inch. A part of him thought that if he stayed still long enough, the world itself would not notice him and all of this would be over. "Asriel." Asgore prompted after some time. The prince's breathing picked up fast and faster until he couldn't breathe any heavier. Then he turned and ran, ignoring the words his father shouted after him.

...

With every step Asriel wanted to turn around, go back to his father, and kill him, but he just kept running. His feet ached but that didn't slow him down.

Asriel slammed the front door of the house shut, the boom could probably be heard throughout the entire house. He stood there for a moment, both hands pressed against the door, seething. He suddenly whipped an arm back and punched the door.

"Damn it!" he screamed before collapsing onto the wooden floor with a sigh. He had his head in his hands. First the Underground itself wanted Chara, then his own father?

"My child?" A familiar voice said from down the hall, "Is that you? Are you okay?" Asriel didn't answer. He didn't even react when he felt his mother put a hand on his shoulder and lean down beside him. Asriel wanted to ask his mom for help, but a part of him knew nothing would really be done about anything. Asgore was still the strongest of all monsters, after all. Still, perhaps…

"Mom," Asriel started somberly.

"Yes, my child?" Toriel responded tenderly.

"Dad wants me to kill Chara," he stated flatly. Asriel could feel Toriel tense up ever so slightly. He felt an arm wrap around his waist and pull him into a side hug.

"Oh, poor thing." There was no condescension in Toriel's voice, only sympathy.

"Yeah…" Asriel said bitterly. Asriel clenched his fists and started to grind his teeth. He really wanted to hit something.

"I know this is not what you want to hear… but your father is only doing what he thinks is right." Asriel's breathing got heavier; angry. He would never, but he _really_ wanted to hit something. "But that does not make it right." Asriel froze up; he didn't even dare breathe. "I think we all should do whatever it is we think is right, even if others may not agree." Asriel turned to look at his mom's face. She had a sad smile. "I will not defend your father's actions, but, even though we have had our arguments before, I will not condemn them either."

"What are you saying?"

"If you decide to do something about it… if you want to do the right thing, then you have every right to do so."

"Yeah, but… can you help me?"

"My child, while your father and I may have other disagreements, I still think it is the right thing to follow his judgement. However, I will not stop you if you decide to take action." Asriel turned his head away in thought.

"...okay," Asriel said after a while. He had no idea what to make of it. It just seemed like such an odd thing for her to say. But it did give him an idea. He pushed himself up off the floor. His mother's arms slid off him. He turned his head to give his mother one last glance. It was odd, her eyes looked… distant. "Mom?"

"We must all do what we think is right." She said in a droning tone. If Asriel's idea was going to work, he wouldn't have time to think of it.

He walked down the hall to his and Chara's room, each step faster than the last. He opened the door and it was like all the paranoia returned. Chara was much more active, but that was because they were shaking, curled up into a ball under the bed sheets. The same existential stare had not gone away. Asriel quickly rushed over.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Asriel asked nervously, trying to sound gentle and comforting. That was never his strong suit.

"S-s-s-s…" Chara stuttered, making Asriel's eyes widen. It didn't sound like language. "S-s-so… cold." It took Asriel several seconds to properly comprehend. Then his mind started back up.

"R-right. Okay, uh… don't worry." Asriel quickly got up and rushed over to the dresser. He opened it and grabbed the extra blankets on the top shelve and hurried back, almost tripping over the cloth. He threw them over Chara.

"Better?" Asriel asked, keeping his hands on the blankets as if to somehow trap the heat. Chara only responded with a shiver. His idea would never work, not while they were this weak. "Don't worry, that doctor isn't going to hurt you anymore," Asriel said, trying to convince himself more than anyone. Chara shut their eyes tight and curled in on themselves further. Asriel felt a chill run down his spine. "Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned…" Asriel stopped himself from making it worse.

Don't make it worse… Asriel got up and went back to the dresser that was still open. He looked on the bottom shelve and there it was. He knelt down to grab the casing and brought it near him. He unsheathed the sword, there were no imperfections in the steel. It wasn't very big; a fancy knife more than anything. He made his way back to the bed and sat down next to it, making sure he had the sword in his hands. He kept watch of the door… just in case.

Both of them didn't have a lot of time. Asriel just hoped Chara would feel better in the morning. Then he would take as much food and gold as he could carry and get both of them out of here. When those ran out… well, it was still much better odds for Chara's survival than staying.

He reached up into the mound of blankets until he found Chara's hand and took hold of it. It was nice to feel a very subtle squeeze back. It took the edge off just a little bit. Tomorrow he would have to avoid his father and probably the entirety of the Royal Guard. At least a passageway was created directly to a part of the river where the River Person could pick them up. It had been constructed fairly recently, in order to grant safe passage to the river and therefore… the laboratory.

The night was spent preparing. He had gathered up various fruits and vegetables from their respective areas, some jars of grain, a few leathery pouches for water and pieces of meat that he cut it into strips and used the house's fireplace combined his magic to smoke the meat so it would not rot. He could hardly believe the boring lesson in survival training from the old turtle was actually being useful. Everything was placed in some lightweight jars and Asriel fit as much into two backpacks as he could. Wearing both was heavy, but he didn't really have much of choice.

Asriel's internal clock was telling him that morning was approaching. He just needed one last thing, and that was assuming Chara could walk. He went back to the dresser in his room, leaving the packs by his door. The jagged pits of metal poking out of a sack of cloth was what he was looking for. He hadn't worked on his set of armor for a long time, hopefully it would be usable.

There wasn't much, but the important parts were the chest and back pieces. Various thick tubes of metal resembling wires outlined Asriel's frame. He put it on and secured it with the remnants of a leather belt. It was lopsided and tended to lean down the the left. It would have to do. At least the sheath of the sword wasn't awkward to reach when buckled to the belt. The only other usable piece of armor was a metal grate that fit on the back of Asriel's left hand. Left for blocking, right for using the sword.

Asriel hesitantly turned to Chara. They looked almost completely fine, innocently asleep under an excessive amount of blankets. Asriel knelt down next to the bed.

"Hey, Chara, are you awake?" Asriel said softly. Nothing. "Chara," Asriel repeated a little louder, trying to not be too noisy as to wake up his parents. Chara stirred a little bit but their eyes were still closed. Asriel put a hand on their forehead, it felt like ice. Asriel's jaw muscles tensed up. Asriel shook their cold, fragile head and, surprisingly, their eyes actually flickered open.

"Chara," Asriel whispered, "you okay?" They didn't respond. Their eyes started to close again. Asriel shook them again. "Chara, you need to get up." They opened their mouth, like they wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Asriel got up and sat down on the bed next to them, careful to keep the pointy bits of metal away from them. He put his hand under the back of their head and lifted it up toward him, making sure their eyes met.

"Chara, I, uh…" Asriel said, trying to put the right words together. "I really don't want to scare you, or anything, but we need to go now, or… something really bad is going to happen." Chara started to squirm. "Listen, listen…" Asriel quickly added, "you'll be fine, just get up... okay?" Their squirming was reduced to a shiver. Asriel peeled back the blankets and slowly raised them into a sitting position. "You need to stand okay, so get ready. One, two, three..."

Asriel hoisted them up by the arm to their feet. Their knees buckled almost immediately, but Asriel held on. They barely managed to not fall over. It took a few more seconds before Chara was able to properly use their legs, but they still needed to lean on Asriel. Asriel took one step forward towards the door. Chara's leg flexed like it wanted to step forward too but couldn't quite get the strength to do it.

"You can do this," Asriel tried to reassure. Chara's foot slid forward. Asriel could feel the weight shifting and barely managed to stop them from losing balance. They must have been in as much pain as this whole thing was to watch. Asriel could already picture the door opening with his dad staring down at him trying to help Chara escape. He pushed that thought from his mind and tried to focus on the task at hand.

The next few steps thankfully came a little bit easier. They were in the doorway. Asriel bent down awkwardly to try and grab the packs while still keeping Chara on their feet. He managed to sling the straps of both packs over the shoulder that was not supporting Chara. The straps were cutting into him but Asriel gritted his teeth and ignored it. Everything was ready to go…

...

Getting out was easier than expected. It helped that Asriel was vaguely familiar with the guard patrol patterns but most of them were off trying to control the underground anyway. They had managed to sneak out of the house, through the castle, down the hastily constructed narrow passage, and into the River Person's boat who always seemed to be there.

Once everyone was seated, Asriel opened his mouth to ask Chara if they were okay but he stopped when he saw that Chara looked to be asleep, shivering. It was good they were resting but the cold… Asriel cursed himself for not bringing at least one blanket with him. He took their hand as if it would help. Sharing body heat would have to do.

It was a long time before they reached the river landing of Waterfall. Asriel had chosen this place over the Ruins as a place to hide since its labyrinthine structure could leave any pursuer confused, but more importantly, it had water. The Ruins did have a few springs where fresh water flowed but they were very few and far in-between. You could walk for miles without finding anything to drink.

Asriel had to go through the same routine of getting Chara to walk as before. Very weak and imbalanced steps slowly transitioning into something more concrete, but still painfully slow.

Waterfall used to be one of Asriel's favorite places to visit. But now, the glittering red gemstones that dotted the ceiling only reminded him of Chara's unnatural, sickly eyes. The streams and rivers that glowed and equally brilliant crimson now looked like endless amounts of their blood. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea.

He had no idea how long the two of them had been walking. All the heavy things Asriel was carrying were starting to take their toll. His muscles ached. But what really told Asriel that he needed to stop was when he felt Chara's grip fade completely. They landed hard on the stone floor. They didn't even utter a whimper.

"Chara!" Asriel yelled, quickly kneeling down next to them. He turned their head to face him, revealing a cut in their forehead. "A-are you okay?" They groaned out something in response. Damn it, he shouldn't have been so careless.

Asriel looked around trying to get a good look at his surroundings. The cavern wasn't too big, the sparkling ceiling loomed above, and one of the many smaller streams was a few feet away. A wall of the cavern was a few feet behind. That would work.

Asriel grabbed Chara's arms and dragged them back towards the wall. He got them into a sitting position with their back against the wall. Asriel wadded up a bit of his sweater and dabbed at the cut. He quickly shifted through one of his backpacks and grabbed a pouch of water. The twisted off the cap and poured a bit on his wadded up sweater before putting the cap back on the pouch and putting it away. He hastily dabbed at the cut as fresh blood started to trickle. When he was done, he pulled back, with no idea what to do next. Hopefully that was enough.

He laid his head back, moving it around a bit to find a spot of the wall that wasn't as jagged. He probably wanted some sleep as much as Chara. Asriel removed his armor and put it down beside him; the discomfort was too much. He wrapped his arms around Chara and pulled them close and rested their head against his shoulder in the hopes it would be more comfortable to them. He closed his eyes, intent on going to sleep. It wasn't long before a feeling of vibration made his eyes open again. Chara, shivering quite severely, had their arms around him too, as if to draw as much heat as possible. Heat… why didn't Asriel think of it before.

He freed his arms and brought his hands close together. He concentrated and a tiny spark appeared in the middle, floating in the air. He gave it a little bit more and the spark grew into a little ball of flame that gave of an illuminating orange glow.

"As...riel?" the voice of Chara whispered, barely audible. Asriel turned to look at eyes that had trouble staying open.

"Are you okay?" Asriel asked for what felt like the hundredth time. He just needed to hear it for himself.

"Warm…" they said. That's when Asriel had an idea.

"Chara," Asriel whispered, "Hold out your hands. Like you're holding a plate or something." They brought their flimsy arms together, and held their palms up in the air. Asriel moved his hands, the flame following his movement, and set the orange ball in the air above their hands. They looked much better in the light. When looking at the fire, they looked more focused, more… present. A faint smile even formed on their lips. Asriel couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you…" they said in a tone that resembled happiness. Asriel could see that their arms started to droop, followed by their eyelids. He kept the flame suspended in the air above them for a few minutes after they closed their eyes completely. He let the spell fade; he didn't want to see if keeping a spell going while asleep was possible.

One of his arms wrapped around Chara's waist, another brushed on of their cheeks. It was still cold, but not nearly as much as before. Asriel rested his chin on the top of their head, not daring to let go. He closed his eyes, giving in to the feeling of complete comfort and drifted off to sleep.

It was one of those perfect dreams of nothing. There were no images of fighting, or conflict, or people getting hurt. Just complete blissful darkness.

It made it all the worse when Asriel woke up to kicking and screaming. His eyes flew open, Chara was on the floor, trying to keep a grip onto his sweater. He only vaguely registered the form above him as he automatically reached to grab Chara's arms, but his grip quickly ended as Chara was dragged away.

As the panic set in, he looked up and gasped. Gaster was standing above him. Asriel, eyes wide, with heavy breathing, groped the ground with his hands until he had the sword in his hands. Chara was being held up by those creepy floating hands from before, trying to break free of their grip.

"Asriel! Help!" Chara yelled.

Asriel got up and didn't think. He charged at the doctor, the sword unsheathed. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, freezing it in place. He tried to pull free but another hand pushed down on his head, forcing him to the floor. Another two hands held is feet to the ground, stopping his wild kicking.

"Get away from them." He groaned.

"Don't miss your appointments." The sickening voice of Doctor Gaster replied in his head. "It turns out the specimen is very useful still." Asriel was forced to watch Gaster glide away into the darkness along with Chara, still struggling for freedom.

Oh god, no, no _no_! This couldn't be happening! Asriel still couldn't get up, he was starting to hyperventilate. He struggled as hard as he could, putting all his effort into moving, but the hands gripped him so tightly.

He forced his muscles to move. He could feel he was moving ever so slightly. Just as he thought he could move his arm to get leverage with the floor, the hands vanished.

He was up. He ran over and grabbed his makeshift armor and ran. He hastily buckled the pieces together during full sprint. Maybe he could catch up. Just maybe. Images of Chara being cut open and examined pressed his running strides further and further. He could already see them panicking and struggling. They _needed_ him.

He was already at the river landing with the boat waiting for him. He immediately jumped it.

"Hotland, now!" Asriel screamed at the River Person.

"My my, that's quite rude of you to-" the River Person was cut off.

"Just go god dammit!"

"Very well," and the boat started moving. Asriel couldn't sit. His fingers kept digging into the side of the boat.

"Can't you go any faster?" Asriel demanded. There was no response. "Are you listening to me?" He snarled. Still no response. Time was passing at a snail's pace. It felt like hours had gone by. He couldn't get the idea out of his head that he would arrive right as Chara turned to dust in front of him.

He slammed his hand into the side of his head. _Stupid. Stupid! Why did I let my guard down? I'm so weak! Why do I have to be so weak?_ After an eternity Hotland peeked over the horizon.

As soon as the landing was close, Asriel jumped off, stumbling from the forward momentum of being on the boat. Again, he put everything into sprinting for the lab. His legs cried out to stop but he only pushed harder.

In a few of the longest minutes of his life, Asriel reached the door of the lab. He slammed on the control panel, and the doors slid open. Again Asriel ran and ran to the elevator.

This panel had so many buttons, he didn't know what to do so he gave into an impulse. A burst of flames shot out and exploded on impact. When the heat and smoke faded, the panel looked completely untouched.

"Argh!" Asriel grunted through clenched teeth. Then he remembered, at one point, he managed to dent the metal of the doors. Asriel quickly drew his sword and thrust it into line both of the sliding doors met.

He pushed as hard as he could to force it farther in. Then he pushed, using the sword as a lever, trying to pry the doors open. The doors inched open. Just enough for Asriel to squeeze his hand into. He readjusted himself, one hand pushed on the sword, the other on the door itself. It just just wide enough to get through. He started to squeeze himself through then he slipped, he frantically whipped his hand back to grab hold of one of the doors.

He gazed at an endless square hole that led to utter darkness. The elevator car had already gone. Asriel gulped hard. He awkwardly managed to told onto the door with one hand and sheath his sword with the other. He looked back into the abyss, there was one lone cable that lead down into the black nothingness. Once Asriel was oriented, he wasted no time and jumped.

He had the cable in his hands, but it immediately slipped through. He felt as if he was almost in free fall. Through the terror of the moment, Asriel managed to bring his shoes up and pinch down on the cable. He slowed to a stop.

All the fire within was gone. He was totally alone, looking down over an endless expanse of blackness, while terrible things were no doubt happening to his only friend. Asriel gulped down breath after breath. Trying to get his mind to right itself. He didn't dare look down, keeping his eyes on the walls. He loosened his grip and let himself descend.

It was so long. It seemed to stretch impossibly far into the earth. When his feet felt something below him, he jolted. Panic seized him and he accidentally let go. He was doomed, until he realized he had only fallen down onto the floor. He got up, trying to orient himself.

Something caught the corner of his eye, and he spun all the way around to get a good look at it. The sinking feeling that he may never find Chara started to build. One of the walls had closed doors as expected, but the other three also had hallways going off to who knows where.

How could he have forgotten; he remembers feeling the elevator move in many different directions. If each hallway was as long as the main vertical shaft, then this place could go on forever.

Asriel shut his eyes, he needed to think. He would find a way, he _would_. Chara needed him. His breathing slowed to something more steady and rhythmic.

He turned to face the wall with the closed doors. Start here and figure it out. He jammed the sword in again like before and managed to force himself through. It was easier this time.

As soon as he was through, his eyes stung as freezing air assaulted them. He rubbed his eyes, then immediately hugged himself for warmth. He looked up. The walls were colorless but somehow faded. The floors were tiled green, also faded. Corridors led to both left and right seeming to extend forever. A pale green mist hung in the air.

Everything felt... _off_. But damn was it cold. Asriel put the sword away, and brought his hands together. He started to summon the fire when an overwhelming urge of utter dread came over him. Don't. _Don't_. He extinguished the flame like his life depended on it. He pressed himself against the wall. It was like he somehow knew that the light was attracting attention, but of who, or _what?_

Asriel picked a direction and started walking. He clutched his sword. His hands were shaking. He couldn't explain it, but this place was wrong, wrong, _wrong!_ He had to force each step forward. One after the other. It was like the entire place was repelling against him.

The quietness was the worst part. Every step, no matter how soft seemed to boom and echo through the hall. He could hear the rustle of his own fur, the saliva squishing through his mouth. His breaths sounded like screams of agony. _Be strong, be strong_ , he told himself. _Chara needs you. Chara needs…_

Step by step. Has Chara even been to this part of this accursed lab? The images of Chara crept back into his head. The stare, and the cold. They were so cold. Were they just left to wander through this place until they went crazy. What did that thing do to them? Would the same happen to himself?

Asriel stopped when the walls to the side of him ended. He was looking into some sort of wide open room. They had to be through here. He stepped forward but the urge to turn back and run only grew stronger. Soon he couldn't see anything other than the floor, even the ceiling was gone. The sickening green fog filled his view. He felt so blind, so _vulnerable_.

He was being watched. As soon as that idea wormed its way into Asriel's brain, he shuddered. Oh god, something is out there, something close. The worst part was the realization that it might be only a few feet away, just out of sight, watching him… waiting.

Asriel had to shut his eyes in order to continue. Where was the cool and powerful Asriel now? He tried to think- _it's_ \- of the various battles he had- _there_ \- fought and won with other monsters. All- _it's there_ \- of which he got hurt but didn't- _It is there_ \- flinch in the face of danger. He was victorious and- _IT iS theRe, in FrOnt oF yOu!_

Asriel stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes shot open and he fell backwards as the horrible thing loomed over him. He didn't think, he just held up his arms as a flimsy shield. Trembling, all he could do was wait for the end.

"I am incomplete," a deep, scratchy and stilted voice said. Asriel still didn't dare to move. There was a terrifying silence for the next few seconds, but he still didn't dare do anything. As if any action would set the thing off. "Are you looking for him?" was choked out. Slowly, Asriel opened his eyes. It felt like spiders were crawling under his skin. The thing wasn't much taller than he himself.

"H-h-who a-are you?" Asriel panted.

"I am incomplete."

"What… are you?"

"I am incomplete." There was no variation in how it spoke this uncanny sentence. Asriel could feel his nerve slowly return. Slowly and unsteadily pushed himself to his feet.

The thing was some sort of construction of bones. It didn't exactly resemble a skeleton. The bones were at odd angles; sticking out of places it should not. The skull was the most formed; however larger and rounder than eye sockets were somehow less than empty. Like the space wasn't just filled with nothing, but with something somehow more vacant and dim than should be possible. The pointed teeth seemed to be arranged into a sort of eerie fixed… smile? Various cables and wires were inserted to the various bones, all connected to a strange metal box.

"D-did you say something about looking for… someone?" Asriel asked uncertainly.

"Him," it said through unmoving teeth. Asriel racked his mind for an answer that should have been obvious.

"Do you mean Doctor… Gast-"

"Yes." There was something about this skeletal thing. Something gnawing at Asriel's mind. The thing was no bigger than him and he was a child. The stare of someone who wasn't really there.

"Whoever you are… are you- were you, at one point…" Asriel hesitated on the last word, "...human?" The utter silence that followed lasted for far too long.

"I am incomplete. Shall I take you to him?" It said, without changing its tone. Asriel took a deep breath.

"Yeah," as soon as he said it, an arm lurched out and grabbed him by the shoulder. He tried to grab it and get it off but then it was gone. He looked around confused. He was inside some sort of metal box; the elevator, and he could hear muffled sounds that made his fur stand on end. He knew Chara's voice anywhere.

This was all that mattered now. Asriel once again started to bend the doors open using his sword. The doors split into a crack and the sound was much more audible. The screaming sent chills down his spine.

"Chara!" Asriel yelled. It didn't stop. Asriel forced himself through the doors and was standing face to face with doctor Gaster in the cramped office. "You!" he yelled, thrusting out his hand. A spark formed a split second before a floating hand grabbed it, blocking his palm. Asriel yanked back and slashed it with his sword, barely missing his own hand. Something caught his eye to the left and he whirled around to slash again, shattering it into pieces.

He felt something pull hard on his shoulder. He spun in circles, trying to shake it off, using his free hand to try and remove it. He registered that more hands were forming around him. He threw all his weight into running forward at the doctor. He slashed down with his sword and-

An arm thrust out of the lab coat faster than Asriel could register, grabbing his sword arm. The doctor wasn't even looking at him, instead through the window. Asriel caught a quick glimpse of some giant glowing contraption before a hand wrapped around his neck and pulled hard. He couldn't breathe. He felt his head smack against a wall. The world was spinning.

"St...op," Asriel croaked out before the hand removed itself from his neck and clamped his mouth shut. He took in as much as through his nose as he could before he realized more hands were pulling onto various limbs, nailing him to the wall. He heard the sword clatter to the ground. He couldn't move an inch.

"It is unwise to interrupt," the voice of Gaster said indifferently. Asriel's widened eyes moved again to the window. He felt weak. The metal thing had Chara trapped. What was it doing? It looked like it was sucking out blood. So much red. No, somehow it was different; more than just blood. It was their soul, it had to have been, and it was being... _eaten_.

The screaming. Deafening and constant; ripped Asriel's ears to pieces. Drilling itself into his mind. Stretching and tearing it; unraveling it. He felt like he was going to throw up.

It lasted for an eternity and Asriel could do nothing about it. Was this hell itself? Not being able to escape being tormented by the cries of a best friend having their very essence be torn apart. It just kept going and going. Asriel knew that nothing he had ever been through had come close to the agony that Chara was going through at this moment.

This was beyond a display of strength. It transcended cruelty. It was sick. How could something like this exist?

Asriel barely even registered when it stopped; everything was still ringing in his ears. He blankly saw the limp body of Chara be carried into the elevator. He was picked up soon after and put in as well.

"Keep them alive," Said Gaster, "I may need them again." Then the elevator doors closed and it started its ascent. Asriel, still in shock, slowly turned his head to look at Chara beside him.

The world turned into a blur. He couldn't comprehend. He saw through his eyes but it looked like a picture of something he had never seen and it was out of focus. What he was seeing wasn't real; it couldn't have been. How could something hurt others like this? It couldn't because it didn't exist. Just like the constant echoed screams in his head weren't real.

Asriel picked something up, it was really heavy, but that too was just a figment of his wild imagination. He let the various landscapes pass him by in a haze. All of it wasn't real, so why bother to even think.

The reason he reached home so fast was because he was imagining it. He recalls setting something down on a bed he used to call 'his.' He stood perfectly still, waiting for this dream to be over, so he could get back to what _was_ real. But nothing happened. If anything, things somehow became more in focus. The walls of his room gained definition and presence.

He just needed to wait a bit longer. A thing filled his view. He could hear his name. It was far, far away. Even the hand on his shoulder felt… Asriel blinked. There was someone in front of him. _Mom?_ Asriel blinked again, the haze was beginning to fade.

"Are you alright?" said Toriel, unnerved. "What happened my child? Where have you been?" _Oh god._

"... get out," Asriel said, no louder than a whisper.

"I am sorry, but I did not hear-"

"I said leave!" Asriel screeched, shoving his mom through the opened door of his room. He slammed it shut before grabbing a chair from the corner and shoving it under the door nob. Asriel turned back to look at the limp form on his bed.

"Oh god…" Asriel whispered. "Oh god. Oh my god! Chara!" he screamed, rushing over to the bed. He leaned down to cradle the human in his arms. He put his ear next to their open mouth. He could feel something rustling his fur, but it was barely anything at all. _Too little._ Something caught in Asriel's throat. He pressed his forehead against theirs. "Chara!" he was still screaming wildly. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He started to rock them back and forth. "I-I…" he whimpered, "I failed you. I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you."

They were so cold. So impossibly cold. Almost as if he was holding a corpse. Asriel sat down next to Chara and pulled them into his lap before grabbing the blankets and draping it over both of them. Asriel hugged the limp human tightly. He wanted to absorb all the cold. _He_ wanted to be the one to carry it, not them. Asriel tilted Chara's head toward him.

"Chara, look at me," Asriel whispered. Their eyes were pointed at him, but they weren't _looking_ at him. Maybe he could find that spark of recognition, like before. Anything, just the slightest hint, but… there was none. "Please look at me," Asriel pleaded. Their eyes, swirling with the sickening red, didn't move. "Chara," Asriel repeated, jostling them just a little bit to try and get their attention. "Chara, I need you to be alright." Asriel was searching their face for anything. He could feel something tugging at the corners of his eyes. "I need _you._ " Something wet ran down his cheek. "So please, just look at me." There was nothing.

"Please, Chara, please..." the words faded into indistinct sounds. The tears turned to sobbing. He clutched them, never letting go. "You can't be dead," Asriel managed to say. "Please don't be dead, Chara."

He shut his eyes. He kept rocking them back and forth. Back and forth. Waiting. Waiting for anything. For the time he reopens his eyes to see Chara smiling back at him, the redness gone from their eyes. They would tell him he would be okay. That both of them would be okay. Back and forth. Not letting go. Never letting go.

Asriel opened his eyes and looked back. He wanted to scream. The orbs looking back only reminded him of the vacant sockets of that thing from deep within the lab.

Why couldn't he have been stronger? Why was he so afraid? Why? Why? _Why_ did he let this happen?

Asriel set their head down on the pillow, he soon laid down to join them, still not letting go of their body. However, he still had a weak grip on the fantasy that Chara would be alright eventually, but... he still didn't let go.

* * *

Authors note: hoped you all liked the chapter. It was obviously the longest so far and a lot of stuff happened. Were nearing the end. Also, if you want to follow me on tumblr for sneak peaks and extras, my tumblr name is the same as my fanfiction account name: _EmeraldLazers_


	11. The Final Chapter

"Go away!" Asriel yelled at door and the mound of various items barricading it.

"Asriel," Asgore's muffled voice said from the other side, "open the door," he demanded.

"I said leave us alone!" Asriel turned away from the door to look at Chara. Asgore said something but Asriel wasn't listening. It had been a full day but Chara still had the same vacant, dead expression. The talking outside stopped for a moment. He sat down beside them and took their hand in his own. With his other hand he brought the blanket up to their chin.

"My child," Toriel's concerned voice pleaded. Asriel tensed up. "Please open the door."

"I don't want to talk to you," Asriel said, the harshness gone from his voice. At least it wasn't his dad.

"I just want to make sure you are okay," She said.

"I'm fine." Asriel said, hoping it would be the end of it.

"I just want to see you. You ran out yesterday and I have not had a good chance to look at my own child yet." Asriel felt a bit weak.

"... no." Asriel repeated.

"What about Chara, are they-"

"Mom, I said- ...what?" Asriel was stunned. What about Chara?

"How are they doing?"

"Uh…" Asriel moved his other hand so that both were holding Chara's own cold, limp hand. He didn't know what to say.

"Are you both hungry? Shall I bring you two something?" As if to answer, Asriel's stomach growled. He realized he had not eaten anything for at least a day. Chara probably more. Sure Asriel could manage for a while, but _they_ might be starving for all he knew.

"Okay," Asriel said "I'll let you in."

"Thank you, I will-"

"But dad isn't allowed to come near. Got it?" Asriel added. There was no response. "Did you hear me?" Asriel said a little louder.

"Of course, my child." Asriel didn't say anything more. He held Chara's hand for a few moments longer before finally standing up. He slowly went over to the door and began to shove things out of the way. The heaviest thing to move was the fairly large wicker box that held his many extra pairs of clothes. This was what he was mainly relying on to keep people out.

Hesitantly, he put his hand on the door knob. He took a deep breathe before he turned it and cracked open the door. Through the open space, he could see no one. He wasn't being lied to. His father was gone and his mom must have been in the kitchen. Asriel closed it and sat down, back against the wall, until he heard his mother's voice again.

"I've prepared some-"

"Just set it by the door, I'll get it eventually," Interrupted Asriel.

"My child…" Toriel's voice drifted off. The sadness in her tone made Asriel's fur stand on its end. "Can I not come see you? You ran out not so long ago and now you hide yourself in your room. I just want to make sure you are okay." Asriel immediately felt weak. He shouldn't be so hostile to his own mom.

"Okay... I'll open the door…" Asriel pushed himself up and slowly turned the knob. The door swung open and Toriel walked in.

"Thank you," Toriel said with a sad smile. She walked over and put a metal tray of food by Chara's pillow. It was a creamy soup. It smelled heavenly. There were also glasses of water and a pair of...

"Hey mom, what are those?" Asriel said, pointing to something on the tray.

"Asriel," Toriel said, surprising him by saying his first name, "could we talk outside for a moment."

"Uhh…"

"It will only be for but a moment. I promise you nothing will happen to Chara while we are gone."

"... fine, but only for a second." Toriel extended a hand to him. He reluctantly took it and followed her out the door, letting go when Toriel shut the door behind her.

"My child," Toriel said suddenly sounding very serious, "I need to tell you something very important." Her smile had vanished. Asriel didn't like what he was seeing.

"M-mom?" Asriel said nervously "What's going on?"

"The flowers on the tray. I need to tell you about them."

"But what-"

"Listen. I will let you decide what to do, but I need to tell you this. If you were to break up the petals of the flower, it will create a very dangerous and potent poison."

"What?" Asriel almost yelled.

"Shhh," Toriel said, putting a finger to her son's lips, "Not too loud. Now listen, it makes the person very drowsy. If you use enough they might just go to sleep and not wake up. Be warned however, I am not completely sure how this affects monsters, and humans are often affected by things in different ways." Asriel ripped the hand away from his face.

"Stop it!" Asriel yelled. She was sounding eerily similar to Gaster.

"One more thing-"

"No!" Asriel put his hands over his ears.

"It is tasteless," the sound still came through clearly, "Chara could not possibly know-"

"Why are you doing this? What did Chara ever do to you?" Asriel said, throwing his arms down. He might have expected something like this from his own dad, but his own mother of all people?

"I am not doing anything. However, I suggest you make a decision soon. You and I both know your father is very impatient." Toriel cocked her head to the side. "And frankly my child, the human is making you weak. I would not be a good mother if I did not address a problem such as this." Asriel was speechless. All he could do was stare. Her expression didn't soften in the slightest. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

Asriel couldn't snap himself out of it. In a haze, he fumbled his way back into the room, too stunned to even put the barricade back up. He put his hands on the bed to keep himself stable.

His eyes drifted to the two golden flowers. Suddenly he grabbed them with both hands and ripped it to pieces, threw it on the ground and stomped it to bits. Then he kicked the mushed plant remains under the bed, out of sight.

Asriel grabbed the chair that was strewn some place on the floor and sat down. It was like the weight of the world had fallen on the chair. Asriel had his head in his hands. He tried not to think about the flowers, but the idea wouldn't leave his mind. The flowers were still there. He needed to distract himself.

Oh, of course, he needs to feed Chara. He scooted the chair up closer to the bed. He put one hand under Chara's head and lifted them into more of a sitting position. With the other, he slid the metal tray across the blankets so it was easier to reach. He moved his hand to pick up the metal spoon and pulled out a healthy amount of soup.

He brought it to Chara's lips. Nothing happened. Of course not, what was he thinking? ... Asriel pushed the spoon through their lips. He pulled up on the spoon and slid it out. The spoon was clean. Asriel smiled, but it was quickly extinguished when he saw the soup was dripping out of their mouth in a stream. He quickly threw the spoon back onto the tray then whipped it back to Chara's chin, closing their mouth completely.

Asriel grimaced as thoughts swam through his head. This was not good at all. Were they not even well enough to eat? Chara was going to starve to death at this point. Or worse, what if they ended up choking-

Asriel gasped. He saw Chara's neck move a little bit as he heard a gulp. He moved his hand away and their jaw went slack again, but no soup dripped out. Asriel was practically shaking. He used his thumb to wipe away the smudges of soup around Chara's mouth. He gave into an urge and pulled them into a hug.

For the next hour or so, Asriel fed Chara the entire bowl of soup. It was slow and tedious. Sometimes it would take a couple of minutes before Chara swallowed but at least they were eating something. More importantly, they were still alive… in some form.

With the bowl completely cleaned out. Asriel set the tray aside on the floor. He never cared so much for keeping his room clean, especially now. He sat down on the bed and pulled something out of his pocket he had been working on for a while now.

One of the two chunks of golden metal resembled a valentine heart. It even had the hole at the top of one of the arches for where the chain would go. He put that one away and shifted his attention to the lumpier, deformed piece. Asriel looked up and scanned the floor.

For the next couple of hours. Asriel managed to find the small hammer he was looking for. Sitting next to Chara, he kept chipping away at the metal, forming it to look more and more like the other piece until to drifted off to sleep.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes when he finally woke up. Chara hadn't budged an inch, of course, their eyes were closed. Asriel pushed himself up with the intent of getting them more food. As he walked to the door, he slipped on something. He threw out his arms to try and catch himself, but he ended up banging his elbow on the hardwood floor.

He sat up, rubbing his elbow, scanning the floor for whatever made him trip. He paused when he was a piece of paper- no, a letter. Asriel reached over and grabbed it. Surprisingly, it hadn't been crinkled at all from being stepped on. Asriel slowly opened it and pulled out the folded paper within.

He unfolded it. All the letters were perfect; machine precision. Already, something about it felt off. Asriel read the letter.

 _Dear Prince Asriel Dreemurr,_

 _I am hereby giving you notice of your next scheduled appointment._

Asriel gulped, a part of him already knew who this was. He kept reading.

 _I am ready to begin a new phase of tests on the human specimen. Modifications to the instruments are underway and will be ready and operational in approximately two days. Bring them at the normal time. I recommend you follow directions and refrain from showing resistance, similar to the last time._

 _Sincerely-_

Asriel didn't read the name and threw the paper across the room. Asriel pulled his knees up to his chest. He was sweating. _Not again._ He physically crawled back away from the letter until his head came in contact with the bed. Then he felt something brush against his hand.

He brought it up. His eyes widened as crushed bits of yellow petals slipped through his fingers. He quickly brushed them off and shut his eyes. His breathing was very heavy.

He couldn't take them back. He couldn't. It's too much. The screaming… No, Asriel absolutely could _not_.

Asriel opened his eyes. _Two days._ What the hell was he supposed to do in two days?! He wanted to run away again, but the doctor was just going to find him once more. He probably wouldn't even make it out the door, his dad and the guards would be watching the exits now. However, if he stayed, nothing was going to protect Chara. Not even he could do anything…

His eyes slowly moved to the floor as something crawled through his brain. Chara has been through so much. They hurt so much. The tests, the experiments, the monsters of the underground, even Asriel himself hurt them relentlessly when they first came here… Before that, who knows exactly? Asriel only knows that it hurt too. Something had to be done.

Asriel was staring at the broken petals at his feet. There had to be another way… there _had_ to. Yet, as he sit there, waiting for a better option to come to him, nothing came to him. Nothing except… _tasteless_. All he could do was stare… _just go to sleep and not wake up._

Chara wouldn't even have to know. Know that he broke his promise, and hurt them one last time… No. Absolutely not. He couldn't poison Chara. Not them. Just not _them_.

Asriel bolted up and ran out the door of his room. It was a crazy idea, but it was all he had. Not them. _Not them._

Asriel practically ran all the way to the ruins himself. He couldn't keep still on the boat ride. He sprinted into the open chamber. The dim light shown from above, the patch of flowers was just barely visible.

It would happen. It would. He would just find another, like the ones that hurt Chara, one of those people would fall down here. He would have no mercy for the likes of them. They would have their death coming.

Asriel would drag them back to the capital himself and kill them in front of everyone. Then he would free everyone. With a soul, he would be stronger. He could do anything! Chara would be okay, because Asriel would finally be strong enough to protect them; from the others monsters, his parents, Gaster, even the other humans if he had to.

Any minute now. Asriel stood, waiting, staring up at the hole at the top of the high cavern. He found Chara when he came down here before. Another would come. Asriel began to tap his foot impatiently. Any minute now. He waited.

And kept waiting. Yet the reality of the situation slowly trickled into his head as the minutes stretched to hours. The light at the top was getting dimmer. Asriel always wanted to know what that was about. He would find it… just as soon as he got the chance.

"Well?" Asriel yelled up to the outside world, refusing to give up, "What are you waiting for?" The response of total and complete lack of sound only prompted Asriel to ball his fists. "Are you scared of me?" He growled, "Huh?" He said, pointing straight up. He was about to shout more, but for some reason, he just couldn't. He slowly let his arm drop to his side, but he still kept watch.

Time continued to pass, slipping through Asriel's fingers like sand, no matter how hard he tried to keep hold of it. Finally the thing Asriel kept trying to force out of his mind was able to really dig itself in. He was just trying to live a desperate fantasy.

Asriel let himself fall to the ground. He didn't even attempt to stop himself. The weight of the world crashed down hard. His entire body hurt, but he didn't care. He couldn't even cry.

"Chara," he whispered out loud, "I'm sorry," his eyes closed, "I'm so sorry." Soon he would get up, go back, and do what needed to be done. They would be lost, but at least here, they were still fine. Still alive. Just a few more minutes.

...

It was late, and the flowers had been gathered from the garden. He had a tray with more soup. He had already mushed the petals in with water to make a fine paste that he stirred into the cream himself. As he was making the trek from the kitchen to the bedroom, he still waited. He was taking his time. It was still possible a better solution could come.

Seeing the doorknob was painful. Balancing the tray on one hand, he reached for the knob. He had his hand on it, still waiting that extra second. Nothing. He pulled it open and walked in. He almost dropped the tray right then and there.

"H-hi, As...riel…" Chara said, their voice shaky and drowsy. It looked like they were struggling to keep alert. Asriel bit down on his lip.

"Ch-chara," Asriel said, quivering. He swallowed and prepared to speak again. "Are you feeling okay?" That sounded better. Why did they have to be awake for this?

"I'm re... really hungry," they said. Asriel tensed up.

"I…" Asriel took a shaky breath, "I brought you something," his voice broke on the last syllable.

"Thank… you." Asriel couldn't move, or even look at them. "Asriel?... A-are you okay?"

"Fine," Asriel quickly responded, "Never better." He forced his leg to move forward, then the other. Step by step, almost against his will, he made his way over the bed. He tried to quell the shaking in his hands as he set the tray down beside them and sat down in the chair.

All he had to do was leave, to just run out with the tray before Chara ate anything. He could see them, talk to them, be with them. He still had a whole day… but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. If he turned back now, he would never have the courage to do this again. It would only end in more hurting. Asriel didn't have the right… did he?

"Hope you like soup," Asriel said, trying to sound cheerful. He pulled out a spoonful of the creamy liquid.

"Asriel, could… I a-ask you something?" They said, the rare ghost-smile on their lips. Asriel would have gulped down the entire bowl of soup without hesitation if they gave the word.

"Yes… Chara?" He said, hanging onto their every subtle expression.

"When you found me… w-why did you not kill me?"

"I…" Asriel started, trying to find the words. This was something he had often debated with himself. The argument that had gone on far too long. "I just... knew that I couldn't do it…" Asriel reached his hand into his pocket, fishing something out. "It took me a while to realize, but I just hate it when bad things to happen to you... " He couldn't keep his hand still as the chain dangled from his grasp. He took the golden heart-shaped locket and put it around Chara's neck. "But… I'm no good at it. From the start I was so... and now…"

"I-it isn't… your f-fault," they said, their eyes, less red than before, looking into his. "I know y-you tried to get me a-away from Gaster…" they slowly brought a hand out from under the covers and held Asriel's cheek. He was too stunned to react. He could feel the lump in his throat, and the stinging of his eyes. "Just… thank you… f-for being here. Y-you're like a… brother to me."

"A brother?" Asriel said, trying to hold back the tears. _No_ , he wanted to say, _I'm nobody's brother. Brothers don't kill their siblings_. He made himself hold the spoon up the Chara's lips. He still had a last chance to- Chara opened their mouth and sucked the spoon clean.

Asriel wanted to scream. To kick. To fight and kill something when the bowl was empty, but all he could do was to put it down and act like all was well and normal.

"Goodn-night, Asriel… I'll s-see you in the morning…" Chara said, putting their head down on the pillow. Asriel reached into his pocket, and pulled out the second locket. It was still lumpy and uneven, but he put it around his neck anyway. A reminder.

He leaned over and sprawled himself over their chest, clutching them in a sort of hug. The angle was awkward, but that was the last thing from his mind. He should have waited another day.

A tear ran down his cheek as he felt the slow rise and fall of their chest, and the rhythmic beating of their heart. In the morning it would be gone, and all he could blame was himself. At that moment, Asriel fully understood the name of his people. He was a true _monster_.

...

Asriel woke up, but his mind still felt like it wanted to crawl back to the darkness of sleep. He was on the floor, he must have fallen over at some point. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He kept his head low. He didn't want to look at the bed, or the person, or rather, what was a person, resting on top of it.

He sat in silence, his face in his hands. He wished he was dead. Then his ears twitched as some sound broke the silence. It was faint, very faint, and now it was gone. Asriel listened closely, maybe-

"Hunnghh…" a very weak voice groaned. Asriel's breathing picked up. He was hyperventilating. He closed his eyes and slowly pushed himself up.

He was standing now, the bed right in front of him. _One, two, three_ , he counted to himself before forcing his eyelids to open.

"Oh god…" Asriel gasped. They were as pale as when he first found them in the elevator of that hideous laboratory. A trickle of blood was coming from their nose. They were tossing and turning their head, eyes shut in what looked to be pain. Asriel grabbed their hand. At least they were no longer cold… but instead feverishly hot. Asriel pulled back.

"Chara?" Asriel called, still in a haze. They managed to look back. Their eyes were bloodshot red.

"It… hurts…" they moaned. Asriel staggered back. This couldn't be happening. He turned and ran out the door.

"Mom!" Asriel yelled, searching the living room and kitchen. "Mom!" He yelled again.

"My child," a distant voice called back, "What is wrong?" Asriel ran back into the living room, Toriel ran to him and kneeled down. "What happened?" She said, worriedly.

"You said they wouldn't feel anything!" Asriel yelled suddenly. "You said it was painless!" Toriel's expression became hard.

"I did not say that."

"But you-"

"I warned you that I did not know what would happen to a human." Asriel's eyes went wide. He threw the hand off his shoulder and ran back to his room, slamming the door behind him. He ran back over to Chara.

"Chara… I-I…" Asriel stammered.

"Everything hurts…" they said, barely keeping their eyes open. Asriel came closer, grabbing hold of a hand that couldn't keep still.

"Y-you're gonna be okay, just… hang in there okay?" Asriel forced a smile.

"The machine…" they said, shutting their eyes tightly. Asriel's façade faded.

"The what?"

"Please… turn it off… it hurts," Asriel gaped in horror. He grabbed their other hand.

"Chara, you're here. You're safe…" he had a hard time with the last word. "Gaster isn't here, okay? He isn't going to-" Chara managed to pull their arms from his grip. The rolled their body away from him, curling up into a ball.

"No, no… no…" they whispered. "No more… please stop…" Asriel was lightheaded. He tried to grab their shoulder and shake them out of their haze but Chara only pulled back further.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be painless, but he was only causing them more. A part of him told him to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. He was so weak as to resort to poison. He just wanted them to be okay…

Where did everything go wrong? Asriel covered his eyes. He couldn't go back now. Gaster would tear them to pieces. It needed to end. Quickly and mercifully. He could just hold a pillow over their head… no. _No!_ Asriel was hyperventilating.

"Chara," Asriel said, not moving his hands. He wasn't even sure they were listening, "Just hang on… it'll be over soon." Just a bit more time and the hurting would stop. Oh god, he didn't want to think about it. Chara's body was so weak, just one more day. Then it would be over…

It was like Asriel was forcing himself to think these things. He just wanted the world to stop. He clutched the locket around his neck with on hand. One more day. More flowers.

Asriel came close to screaming many times as he fed them more soup as night approached. At least Chara had stopped that haunting moan of pain. Asriel put the empty bowl on the floor. It was beginning to pile up, but he didn't care.

Asriel didn't allow himself to go to sleep. He just kept watch of them as they dreamt. Every time they moved around trying get comfortable, Asriel felt it. It looked impossible. Chara could only keep still for a few minutes. Their eyes were always closed as if they were trying to shut something out. Nightmares? No relief, not even in sleep. Asriel couldn't help but feel responsible for this too.

Asriel reached over and held their head up. He swapped out the pillow for one with a fresh case. The old pillow was stained with specks of blood. Asriel looked at his hands, then back to the pillow. He tossed it away on the other side of the room.

It was then that Asriel realized something. Chara didn't even move when he held up their head. He looked at them closely. They still occasionally moved around, but they were beginning to slow down. Something was rising in Asriel's chest, he pushed it down. At least they looked more and more peaceful as time went on. That was what he was reminding himself.

Asriel's eyes opened. He had been sleeping. _Shit!_ He quickly got up but stopped abruptly. He could hear them breathing. It was loud. Asriel wore a look of disgust as the terrible wheezing rang in his ears.

Knives ran up and down his skin. It was hard for him to breathe, just listening. He wanted to cover his ears, but that didn't seem any better. It was cowardly.

"What am I doing?" Asriel said out loud, not sure if Chara could hear. He wasn't even sure who he was talking to. "Why am I doing this?" His eyes focused on Chara again as they moved their head to look at him. They were mouthing something. Something was rising in Asriel's chest again. A pressure.

"Wa…" Chara managed to sound, "Water…" Asriel blinked, feeling a little more in touch with reality.

"R-right," Asriel stammered before quickly leaving the room. A part of him was relieved that he left the room. He hated that feeling. When he filled the glass with water, he made sure to add ice. Maybe that would help them somewhat.

Asriel pushed open the door. A few times, Asriel had almost dropped whatever it was he was holding, but not quite. This time, he panicked, and threw the glass across the room. It shattered on impact, water and glass flew in all directions. Some sharp bits came dangerously close to Chara, but Asriel was too distracted to notice.

All he managed to do was miss the floating skeletal hand hovering above Chara's chest. Asriel held up his hand- no! He thrust it down again. _No, stupid! Not when it's so close to Chara!_ Instead, Asriel ran for the hand to try and grab it. It flew away from him at the last moment. His legs hit the bed, and he stopped himself just short of crushing Chara.

Asriel turned. Something grabbed the side of his head and shoved him. He fell back, hitting his head on the wall. The world was spinning. Asriel pushed himself to his feet and staggered a few steps before regaining his balance.

He was about to make another grab when he was suddenly face to face with the hand. The hole in the center was usually completely hollow, but Asriel found himself not being able to move as he stared into utter darkness.

Something was looking back at him. He got the impression it was not happy. _At all._

But before Asriel could even process the situation fully, the hand receded away, floating back through the open door. Asriel ran after it, but when he stumbled into the hall, it was nowhere to be found.

He was going to try and follow it, but the wheezing pulled him back into the moment. It seemed Gaster was gone, but for how long, maybe forever, maybe a few minutes as more and more hands were being created to swarm the castle.

Asriel closed the door and ran back to them. They had a cut on their cheek. Why did he think it was a good idea to throw glass at something next to them? Could he do anything right? Asriel tried to use his sleeve to wipe off the blood as best as he could.

At least they didn't appear to be awake. This was one more thing he could hide from them… Asriel took some time to clean up all the glass and dry up all the water with a towel. He never really had the patience for this sort of thing, but he made sure to be extra careful this time. Just in case Chara gets up for some reason and cuts their feet. Or maybe they would slip and hit their head.

Asriel plopped down into the chair when he was done. What was he doing exactly? What was he trying to achieve and why? He was doing things so Chara wouldn't get hurt but at the same time doing the exact thing he was fighting. He was killing his best friend to protect them. But what if Gaster _was_ gone? That thing might think Chara would be dead and move on to something else. Maybe that too was just a fantasy.

Asriel just sat and listened to the wheezing. The awful wheezing. It would be over soon anyway. He got up for more water, making sure to close the door fully, instead of leaving it open ajar.

"Hey Chara, are you awake?" Asriel asked when he got back into the room with a fresh glass of ice water. Their eyes flickered open and looked back in response. He helped Chara sit up and out the cup up to their lips. They drank slowly. Asriel had pull the cup back as Chara went into a fit of coughing. They looked miserable, but they motioned for more water. Asriel set the half empty glass down on the floor by the head of the bed.

Then it was back to something that felt eerily familiar. Asriel sitting next to Chara as they continued to fight to hold on. A couple of hours had passed and the wheezing hadn't sounded any better. It was that time again. Time for more flowers. Asriel got up and was about to leave when something broke the monotonous breathing.

Chara's breathing was sounding a bit erratic. Asriel turned. Chara's eyes had the look of pure dread. Eventually, the breathing suddenly stopped entirely.

"Chara!" Asriel yelled, grabbing their hand, "Chara, what's wrong?!" He knew this was coming, but a part of him never actually imaged it happening. Chara's mouth was agape, it looked like it was trying to suck in air. They coughed, red mist spurting into the air. Asriel was stunned. They coughed again, and again. Sounds of desperate gasps punctuated every cough as Chara spasmed underneath the covers. Asriel felt completely helpless. They just kept coughing and coughing. It sounded like their throat was being ripped apart. Asriel felt something rise in his own chest.

Then Chara went limp. Asriel's eyes were wide in utter horror and disbelief. There was an endless moment of silence. Then he saw it, their chest began to rise and fall once again. Asriel, shaken to the core, stood up without even knowing. He couldn't even register the fact that he had walked all the way to the garden and back. He was walking back into the room with more flowers before everything seemed to start back up.

He looked down at his jittering hands and the flowers inside it. The feeling. The pressure in his chest, he couldn't keep it in. He gripped the flowers tightly and ran out of the room. He threw the awful things into the fireplace and blasted it with an explosion of orange and yellow.

Asriel crumpled into the floor, knees to his chest, illuminated by the embers of the dead plants. Asriel screamed into knees. The sound was muffled, so only he could hear it. Tears were streaming down his face.

He couldn't do it. _He couldn't!_ What difference was there between him and mad Doctor Gaster himself. Both of them were hurting Chara for no reason. Making them suffer until death takes them. He would do something else, anything else. He would fight to the death if he had to. He didn't have the right not to. That is… if Chara managed to survive the night…

Asriel, after what felt like hours, pushed himself up and, once again, walked back to his room. He sat down in the chair and let himself crash his head onto the bed. Chara, asleep, didn't even notice the soft impact. _Please don't die_ , Asriel thought to himself, _I'm so sorry. I did this to you. Please don't die…_ Almost against his will, the fatigue pulled Asriel back to the uncertain darkness of sleep.

It always feels terrible. Waking up and having to check. Asriel almost wanted to shut his eyes again and pretend. That way he knew they were still there, in his mind. _Coward._ Chara would either look better from no poison, or they would be dead. He looked at the form laying on the bed.

Their head was turned away, but their chest was rising and falling. Asriel let himself exhale. Their throat and breathing sounded much better. Maybe they could tell him themselves.

"Hey Chara," Asriel said, quietly in case they were asleep, "Are you feeling better?" No response, they must be asleep. Asriel was about to leave to get food for the both of them when he stopped. Chara groaned something. They were so quiet, Asriel could barely hear it. "Did you say something?" He asked, not even sure he heard anything.

Slowly, Asriel approached them. He gently slid a hand under their head and tilted it toward him. Asriel almost threw up. Blood was all over their mouth, dripping from the corners. It was on their clothes, and the bed was stained red.

Asriel reeled back, mouth open, hands on his forehead. They had gotten _worse?_ But he didn't put the flowers in their food this time. How was this possible?

There was so much red in their mouth. Chara twitched. There was a gurgling sound and their chest… it stopped moving. Oh god, what was happening?

Asriel slapped himself. He needed to focus, or Chara was going to _drown._ Asriel darted back to them, lifting them into a sitting position. He was only vaguely familiar with how to do this. He was behind them, wrapping his arms around their stomach. He locked his hands, putting them below where he thought the 'diaphragm' thing was. It was always a bit different for monsters, but humans? What if he messed up and only made things worse?

No, he had done enough of that. He counted two three and pulled sharply upward, digging his thumb into the skin. Chara doubled over. Asriel's eyes widened. He had made it worse. Then Chara coughed, then again, violently. Crimson liquid spilled out and onto the sheets. They gasped. Had he done it? Chara coughed and gasped a few more times, but it sounded more natural.

They slowly brought their body back up. Asriel gently set them back down onto the pillow. He smiled at them. He did it! He saved them! He saved their life. He… the smile faded.

Chara was looking back at him. They were sputtering and shivering. Shaking and shuttering. They were wincing tears. Their mouth was open like they were trying to say something. Asriel had to force back the sensation pulling at his eyes. He didn't save them. The poison wasn't wearing off. He just kept them alive for now.

He put a hand on their forehead. It was hot, but they were shivering. He tried to smile at them. There were no words to console them. Chara, even in their current state, could definitely tell how forced it was.

Asriel's eyes ran up and down the sheets. They were so filthy. He couldn't let them live in this.

"Ch-chara," Asriel said in a shaky voice, "I'm g-gonna have to change your sh-sheets and blankets, ok-kay?" Chara managed to nod back. Asriel put his arms underneath Chara's back and knees. He lifted them up. It was shocking how easy it was. They used to be so heavy. Used to be.

Asriel set them down, back to the dresser, laying a mostly clean blanket over them as he slowly removed layers and layers of dirty sheets. He could almost feel Chara breathing down his neck as he tried to work as fast as they could. It was probably very uncomfortable for them.

He set them back down on the bed when he had finished. The sheets were a lot more wrinkled and uneven than before they were changed but at least they were clean. Asriel also got a bucket from the kitchen that Chara could spit into if they needed.

Getting them to drink was much more difficult. They would often cough it back up. It was long and painful, but eventually, they got a glass of water down. When Asriel pulled back, Chara seemed to fall back asleep immediately.

Only when they were asleep did Asriel allow his self-loathing and regret to rise to the surface. He often hit the floor over and over again as if it were himself. Chara was too exhausted to hear the sounds. The sounds of a murder.

Asriel's knuckles were all dusty and stung badly. There were dents in the wooden floor. He had finally run out of steam for that day. Maybe tomorrow would be better. For both of them. Or was this too just a fantasy?

The next day they were still alive, eating and drinking with help, but they were somehow even more pale. They coughed and spit into the bucket on a few occasions. The day after that, Asgore stopped by the room. Asriel was about to shout him out, but the King didn't even enter.

"Chara," Asgore said, his face and tone neutral, "Stay determined." Even he could see how much pain they were in. _Even Asgore._ But Asriel couldn't wallow in his self-hatred for very long as he had to help Chara get through another terrible coughing fit. It happened again the next day. Twice.

Even the normal breaths sounded like they were fighting a war all on their own. Asriel had to change the sheets and blankets again due to their inner fluids being forced to the outside. It was quite literally on Asriel's hands.

The next morning, Asriel did his normal routine. Wake up, look over, and hold his breath for that spark that Chara was still alive. They were awfully still.

"Chara," Asriel called. No response. He jostled their shoulder. Sluggishly, they turned their head to look at them. Asriel felt weak. They still had their pale skin and red eyes, but something was missing. They looked so _tired_.

They slowly managed to reach an arm out and hold Asriel's cheek. Asriel smiled. They did too. Then Asriel realized their chest wasn't moving. His smile faded.

"Chara…" He said worried. Their lips were mouthing something. "Chara, what is it?"

 _I… l o… v e..._ They mouthed. Their arm went limp.

"Chara?" Asriel asked, shaken. They didn't move a muscle "Chara?!" Asriel yelled, grabbing their shoulders and shaking them. "Chara!" He yelled again. His eyes were wild. "Chara! Wake up!" He kept shaking them. "Please don't go!" He grabbed their head, trying to make them look back. Their eyes were pointed at him, but not looking. Just like when Gaster had sucked the life out of them.

Asriel's vision was cloudy. "Chara wake up! Come on! Wake up!" But no matter how he tried to shake them, they didn't move. Asriel pulled them close, tears streaming into their shoulder. "Oh god!" He screamed, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! I killed you! I'm sorry..." his words were lost in random sounds. He had made their last few days on this earth torture. How could he do such a thing.

Just then, a strange light filled the room. There was red everywhere. Asriel didn't care. He couldn't tear himself away. He stayed sobbing. Until he heard a strange noise. It sounded like something was cracking.

He finally looked up, still clutching them. He gasped. A colorful display filled his view. Red. Not the sickly red of blood. But a gentle, relaxing shade that slowed his breathing. Vein-like tendrils wound their way through the open air. Swaying calmly pristinely. All leading to what looked to be the center of the universe.

Asriel couldn't move. He felt weaker in the presence of such a thing. It was Chara's soul, hovering above him.

Asriel froze. Lines and cracks shot through the veins. It was approaching the center. Asriel's reflexes kicked in. He reached for it. It vanished suddenly.

Did he do something wrong? What did- Asriel doubled over. He couldn't think. There was a distant presence, but he couldn't tell who. His chest felt warm. The sensation wove through his arms and limbs. He felt lightheaded; it was too hot.

Asriel felt as if he were being pulled in all directions. The world was turning into a blur. He could hear voices, but they were far away. The heat only continued to build. It was coursing through him. Hotter. More heat. The world continued to become more and more out of focus.

The heat was unbearable, but it only continued to build. The presence was getting close, more real, yet still distant. It was familiar. He reached out his arm, but it grabbed at nothing. Asriel's eyes snapped to the limb. It was hard to see but it seemed longer. Much longer.

He wanted the insufferable heat to end. Yet a thought crept into his brain. The heat reminded him of Chara when they were sick. Chara must have felt something like this. The poison, the machine, the other humans from the surface… how did Asriel know this? The presence was so close now.

An overwhelming sense of dread clouded Asriel's already incoherent thoughts. He could see and hear things he had never witnessed like they were his own memories. They were fragmented and incoherent; coming and going to be processed. A part of him thought to hide from it. He felt like the visions could tear him apart if they found out. The poison. Poison that he used. He murdered Chara. He had to keep the knowledge secret. He wanted to bury it.

Then the thought was pushed back into the recesses of his mind as the visions filled Asriel's view. Suddenly, Asriel was no longer in the castle. He didn't even know if he was in the Underground anymore. The heat was gone completely, leaving him feeling drained of all energy.

He looked around. The room was so dark, it was hard to think of anything. Asriel quickly became aware of his arm. He looked up, it was pink and fleshy, but that was normal. What wasn't was the wires that cut into it, tied around a metal pipe of some sorts. The red and cut skin seemed to burn. Blood was dripping in a slow and steady stream. He tried to pull on it to break free but shut his eyes as fresh pain shot through the arm.

A muffled clunk echoed through the room. Asriel ripped his eyes away to look at the other side of the room. Light seeped through from somewhere above, illuminating a set of stairs that went all the way down to the floor. The beating in Asriel's heart started to race. Get away! Asriel wanted to yell but his jaw ached. He tried to pull back, but his arm flared up again. He winced. All he could do was wait for what came next.

 _Asriel..._ a distant voice called, _Asriel!_ His eyes shot open.

"Chara!" Asriel yelled out loud.

 _Yes, Asriel. It's me!_ The happy voice of Chara echoed in his head.

"Y-you're still alive?" Asriel sputtered, close to tears.

 _I'm right here._ Chara said again. A tear ran down Asriel's face. He wrapped his arms around himself, embracing them even if they were not actually there. _You don't have to worry anymore._ Asriel curled in on himself even more. He just wanted to stay there, with them, forever. His vision was getting more and more clouded with tears. He shut his eyes as more flowed.

Asriel jumped when he felt a hand on his cheek. His eyes flashed open, but there was no one there. It was his own hand and arm somehow. But he didn't do anything… Chara. Without a word, Asriel put his other hand over the other, leaning into the touch. He- or more accurately, both of them stayed holding each other for moments that were not nearly enough.

Asriel could hear footsteps from down the hall. He reluctantly looked to see the door swing open. It was his parents. Both of them. Asriel quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up.

"Asriel, you…" his father trailed off. A rare look of shock shown on his face. Asriel looked down. He was taller. Much taller. He also appeared to wearing some kind of pure white robe. The dented locket was still around neck. His head felt a bit heaver. He reached up with both hands, feeling around to discover he had a pair of curved horns. Asriel looked back at his father, he could see eye to eye with him. Toriel stood, watching him intently.

"... I'm proud of you, my son," Asgore's voice broke the silence. Asriel clenched his fists. Proud? How could he be proud for making him… no, he couldn't think about it. Chara couldn't know.

 _Asriel,_ the voice of Chara said, _What's wrong?_ Asriel didn't respond. He slowly approached his father. He stopped only a few inches away, not breaking eye contact. Asgore's apparent shock had faded back into his usually impassive, unmoving expression some time ago. Asriel was resisting the urge to kill him then and there. _Asriel, what's with you? What happened?_ He still didn't answer.

"You have become stronger," Asgore said.

"I have." responded Asriel, bitterly.

"You know what you must do," Asgore said as if he held all the power. Asriel could feel something within him. A certain aura that permeated his entire being. It was warm and comforting. Not searing like before. It made him feel stronger. He didn't have to do anything his father said anymore. Chara, no doubt feeling his emotions, decided not to press for answers.

"How many?" Asriel said.

"Six more, then you must-" Asriel held his hand up. Must? He could walk away right now and nothing could stop him. Or was there? Something didn't feel right. Asriel looked at his hands, he felt like he could do a lot, but how much exactly?

Asriel recalled how utterly helpless he felt. Unable to even get near Gaster. The doctor had him completely restrained in only a few seconds. He felt stronger, but something told him it still wasn't enough. Gaster could still get to him and Chara.

But that wasn't it entirely. Something else tugged at his mind. He couldn't let it go. Chara never got a good look at the person at the top of the stairs. So much thrashing and screaming. Yet Asriel could recall every single hit and lash that landed on his- their skin. Asriel couldn't resist punching the door frame, making both his parents flinch.

How could anyone do that? How could… That was just one person. There were many more like them. Asriel grinded his teeth. A part of him seemed to shift uncomfortably.

 _That was a long time ago,_ said Chara, _I don't think-_

"I'll do it," Said Asriel suddenly. He pointed at his father, "But I'm not doing this for you, or whatever the hell you call your kingdom, understood?" Asgore didn't seem affected at all.

"My child," Toriel said startled, "I think you should know-"

Asriel yanked his hand out of the doorframe. Pieces splintered off, revealing a very large section of wood that was completely destroyed.

Asriel left immediately. There were so many people who hurt Chara. So many. He had to do something about it. It was all he could think about. It was all he ever thought about for the past few days. He _was_ finally strong enough. At least strong enough for most. That giant-skulled creature with the dead eyes still made his skin crawl.

If Gaster could create life, if it even was life, then who knows what else he could do? He still needed more power. He could also tie up those loose ends while he was at it. He had to do this.

 _I know how bad you're feeling. Please tell me what's bothering you_ , Chara pleaded, _I can feel it too._

"Chara," Asriel said, as he already entered the throne room. Distance felt much shorter to him now, "for so long, I couldn't do anything." There was a passage behind the throne. The walls gave away to uneven stone and rock. "But now that we're finally together, I think I can do it, Chara. I can finally protect you. I just have to do one more thing."

Asriel stepping into a massive open room. His field of view was filled by a glowing curtain of white misty light. This was the barrier that kept monsters entrapped in the Underground. However, Asriel had Chara with him. He knew it couldn't stop him.

"There are a lot of people," Asriel said. "People who hurt you, Chara. Who hurt us. You know it, you can feel it. We can stop them!" He was almost excited. First the ones out there, then the rest who would want to hurt Chara. No matter how deep in the earth, or how high above the surface. After that, he would be done. No more monsters and human stuff. This was the last thing he needed to do before he could finally relax. It would all be over then. Asriel walked again, approaching the barrier.

 _You're acting so strange. What do you mean by 'stop them?' I don't underst-_ Asriel reached a hand into the shifting mist. They both shuddered as a feeling of cold overwhelmed them. Asriel stepped forward. It was like walking into a blizzard. Everything was fighting against them, but the warmth inside him made him push forward.

Suddenly the light faded and they were on the other side, looking up a long, wide cave with a brilliant blue light at the end. Undeterred, Asriel kept moving.

When he was at the exit of the cave, he almost didn't stop. He took only the briefest moment to look out over the land that seemed to go on forever without reaching the walls of the cavern. Trees as far the eye could see. Far out on his left was a massive rock, a mountain, that pierced the infinite blue which seemed to stretch on forever without reaching the roof of the cave. He almost forgot, the surface isn't in a cave. It only took Asriel only a second to process, then he started a trek down a winding path from wherever he was to the flat land below.

 _What are we doing here?_ Asriel could feel the urge to turn around and go back, but it wasn't from himself. That's how he knew he was heading in the right direction. He needed to do this, but he had to keep quiet as to why.

Suddenly, Asriel couldn't move his legs. _What's gotten into you? Why won't you speak to me?_

"Chara," Asriel said calmly, "stop that, we need to go."

 _And do what? Why are going there?_

"Just trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing." Asriel tested his leg, but it didn't budge.

 _Can't we just turn around and go back? I thought you'd be happy that we can be together._ Asriel grimaced.

"I am happy, but I need to do this, okay? It's important."

 _But Asriel-_

"Chara, please…" Asriel still couldn't move. Chara said nothing to him. "... fine." Asriel put all his energy into moving his leg. He could feel it was resisting him, but it slowly moved forward. The slight movement turned into a small step. He focused on the other foot, it was harder this time, but he managed the second step. Then nothing stopped him from taking the third step, but he felt the feeling of discomfort grow. "Thank you."

 _...please don't take me back for long._

"Don't worry, It'll be over quickly." He was walking for a long time. The rocky path faded into dirt and grass. The forest was thick, he could barely see the sky through the trees. Most people would be completely lost, but not him, or rather, them.

Then he could see a clearing up ahead. He had the overpowering urge to shut his eyes. Memories of running filled Asriel's head. It felt like his left leg was broken but he still pushed it into an agonizing full sprint. Desperately trying not to be seen in the night. It was away from the place that loomed in front of him, just beyond the trees. Asriel forced his eyes back open.

"It's okay, nothing is gonna hurt you," Asriel said, tenderly. Chara didn't say anything back.

A part of him wanted to go back, but that was probably just Chara. He passed through the trees and was looking at a small group of buildings. He saw the grass melt into a cobblestone, leading into the distance. There looked to be a sort of open town square with a well in the center. Brick houses lined the rocky streets.

 _Are you sure about whatever this is...?_ Chara asked. Asriel could tell they didn't really think he would be swayed. Asriel nodded and walked forward down the road. It was only a few seconds before he heard yelling. He saw a lot of humans in the streets, most of them turned and ran away at once. Some approached cautiously, picking up sticks and random objects to defend themselves with. Asriel's hands were shaking.

"Don't worry, Chara," Asriel said, making his hands steady for them. There was a lot of yelling. Asriel raised his open palms. The inner heat surged and flames blossomed out. It was so much power. A part of him couldn't believe what he was doing.

He raised his hands up and the flames shot toward the sky. It coalesced into a giant tornado of spinning flames. Orange and yellow heat filled the air. This was it. Asriel, looking ahead at the humans who were too stunned to even move, thrust out his hands. Something stopped him at the last moment. All the fire faded. He tried to call it back.

 _Asriel!_ Chara screamed from within his mind, _what are you doing?!_ Asriel struggled to move.

"Chara!" Asriel yelled back, "Don't try to stop me!" Asriel focused, flames sputtered in his palms.

 _No! You can't!_

"Why are you trying to stop me?" Asriel yelled, more irritated, scanning the houses until he found what he was looking for. In the distance, he saw a run down building with boarded up windows. "Over there! That's where the other humans hurt you! The one on the stairs!"

 _But Asriel-_

"They deserve to die! All of them."

 _No! I won't let you do this!_

"They hurt you! I can't allow them to get away with that!" Asriel's eyes flickered to the humans in front of him, recovering from their daze. Many more were appearing, some with swords, others with bows and arrows. Asriel pressed harder. His hands flared up with fire for a second but died out soon after.

 _You're acting crazy! You can't just kill them!_

"There were more, weren't they?" Asriel could feel how stunned they were. "It wasn't just that one, there were a lot more of them! Anyone who would do that to you should die!"

 _No, you don't underst-_ Something thin and sharp cut into Asriel's body, but it didn't mean anything to him.

"They're even trying to hurt you now! See? So just let me do this!" He screamed, gritting his teeth, trying to get his limbs to work. He could tell Chara was struggling. More things were being shot into him. He ignored it and kept pushing.

"I need to take their souls!" Asriel growled, "I still need to get stronger! Gaster will come back and you know it!"

 _This will only make things worse!_

"I'm trying to protect you!"

 _I can't!_

"It'll be over soon, I promise!" More sharp things were flying at him.

 _Asriel, please...!_

"Chara just-"

 _I won't do it!_

"Come on!"

 _No! I refuse!_

"Fine then!" Asriel, done with talking, pushed with all he had but still nothing happened. He grunted and tried more and more to fire back at the weaklings in front of him. He put more and more effort into it, eventually forgetting about what exactly he was aiming at. All that mattered was the battle with Chara.

He gritted his teeth, fighting for just that little bit of magic. His memory dredged up weird images of parts of the castle. He ignored it and pressed harder against their resistance. He could feel sparks fall from his hands. He was almost there and- Asriel was overcome with a sense of dread.

 _No!_ Chara screamed in his head as he remembered standing in front of his parents. He was- where was he? When was this? Then he felt his neck be yanked hard. He couldn't breathe. His head slammed into the floor. He was about to cry out when a shoe crushed his skull into the floor. The floor muffled his screams. He knew what this was. He remembered it clearly.

Asriel, snapping back to reality, staggered back with a gasp. His eyes were wide, and his breathing was heavy.

"Chara, I'm…" Asriel tried to focus. "I shouldn't have come here." He turned around sharply and quickly headed away from the village. He was out of sight in only a few moments. "Chara, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to make you do that." They were silent. "Chara? I know you're there. Please answer me."

This was bad. How did he not see this? Asriel thought back to when he spared that monster assassin just because he didn't want Chara to see him kill it. But now he just tried to force them to murder others. How could it not pull up painful memories of the other things he did?

It was hard to push the thoughts out of his head. He hit them when they first got to the Underground. He hit them many times. He chained them up… Asriel had to shut his eyes. And that was before he picked those flowers and… no, he couldn't think about that. They couldn't know.

 _I…_ they said finally, _Please don't do that again._

"Chara?" Asriel said, surprised, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please just- oh god, what have I done?" He wanted to go some place far away from his parents, but now, he couldn't think of anywhere else. He was in the forest. Somehow, distances didn't feel nearly as short anymore. Why was he so tired? He didn't use that much magic. Barely anything at all.

 _Asriel…_ Chara said, feeling equally exhausted, _I think we're hurt._ Asriel looked down and gasped. He entire body was riddled with arrows. How had he not seen this? Glittering dust was spilling out in steady streams. He pulled one of the arrows out, but that only made more dust leave his body. He picked up his pace and ran.

"No, no no…" Asriel muttered, "Chara, what have I done?"

 _It's okay, just calm down._

"I messed it up again, I'm so sorry."

 _We'll get through this, okay?_

Each step was getting harder and harder. He could barely feel the pain, but he knew he needed to hurry. He had to take deeper and deeper breaths, eventually turning into ragged panting. Each step as he approached the mouth of the cave became a battle.

The barrier was much harder to cross. He could feel parts of him being blown away by the strange forces. He stumbled through, collapsing on the cold stone ground of the cave. It only pushed the arrows in deeper.

"My child!" screamed Asriel's mother, rushing over to him, with his father shortly behind. Had they been waiting for him?

"What happened?" His father asked, clearly unnerved. Asriel was struggling to keep his eyes open. "Look at me!"

"Chara…" Asriel whispered.

"Speak up. I can barely hear you," said Asgore, but Asriel wasn't talking to him.

"I'm such an idiot, aren't I?"

 _Don't say that,_ Chara said. Asriel could feel his form losing its cohesion. Somehow the lack of pain made it even more terrifying. Like the both of them could just disappear suddenly without them even knowing it. He saw in the corner of his eye, it was his mother.

"Mom, why are you crying?" Asriel said, drowsily.

"Please," she said in a shaky voice, "please forgive me…" Asriel tried to focus more. It caught his father's attention too.

"For what?"

Toriel's shaking hand reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled two things; a black wilted flower, and a vial with some sort of liquid.

"My child," Toriel said through tears, "My little angel. I found this in the fireplace and I… and I… knew you couldn't so I… poisoned Chara."

"What?!" Asriel exclaimed, his voice a cross between dangerous and completely helpless. "How did…"

"I snuck into your room on many nights a-and I slipped this into Chara's mouth." Toriel was completely sobbing. The objects fell from her violently shaking hand. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I am s-so-" Asriel shot up, ignoring the growing pull of the floor and clamped his hand around Toriel's neck.

"You did what?" Asriel screamed. Toriel grabbed at her Asriel's hands to try and break free but Asriel didn't let up at all. "You killed them?!"

 _Wait!_

"Asriel, stop!" His father yelled. Asriel felt a hand on his shoulder. Asriel used his other hand and pushed in Asgore's general direction. He could feel the explosion wash over him, followed by the sound of something big and heavy hitting the ground.

"You bitch!" Screamed Asriel and pressed into his struggling mother's neck with his other hand. She could barely even gasp for air.

 _Stop it!_ Asriel didn't say anything, completely focused on what he was doing. He could start to feel his hands were resisting him.

 _I said stop! Asriel! Stop!_

"No! She did that to you!"

 _Asriel!_

"I had to watch you die, Chara!" Asriel still managed to press as hard as he could even though he was fighting Chara as his hands began to become powdery and dusty.

 _But it isn't worth it!_

"Why do you keep saying that? Do you want people to keep doing these things to you?"

 _No, you don't get it!_

"I know what it was like!" He remembered lying on the bed, coughing up blood. His throat was on fire. Even breathing hurt. His body felt even weaker than he did now. He was so tired, but not even sleep could help him. His skin was so hot, he had to keep shifting around on the bed looking for a spot on the mattress that was just a little bit cooler. His thoughts seemed to melt in the heat itself. "I almost lost you!"

 _But you didn't, Asriel, I'm right here!_

"But now were both… you could still be alive if it wasn't for her!"

 _It doesn't matter what she did! Can't you see she regrets it? She can still be…_ Chara's voice trailed off.

"Still be what?"

 _...forgiven._

"Forgive?!" Asriel screamed. "You're so naive! She doesn't deserve that!"

 _But Asriel, you put the flowers in my food too, but I still forgive you._ Asriel was stunned. His hands began to trembled

"W-What? Y-you knew?" Asriel stuttered.

 _I knew at the moment we started to share this body. When I found out, I was so confused and angry. It brought up some bad memories, but now I just... but I didn't tell you because, I know how much you blame yourself, and I didn't want to make it worse…_

"Chara, I…" Asriel's grip was shaking. Something was welling up inside him again. "Why…" he asked, "Why aren't you angry?" He couldn't understand it. "I thought you hated people who did things to you!" He said, louder, more wildly. "You even hated me! You were gonna kill me at one point! So why are you doing this? Why are letting this slide? You were tortured to death!"

 _You're right, I was suspicious of everyone for a time. I felt like everyone deserved to feel as much pain as I have, but I've just… I don't want to live like that anymore. It has to stop somewhere. So please, don't do this..._

It was at this time Asriel truly looked at the person he was holding in his deformed hand. Tears were spilling from her face. Her expression was fearful, it looked like she was just barely staying conscious. But Asriel could also see the sadness. She wasn't even trying to resist.

"Chara!" Asriel screamed, shutting his eyes tightly, "I'm sorry!" He let go and collapsed to the floor. "I did so many bad things. And now I got us both killed. I'm s-so sorry…" Asriel felt his crumbling limbs wrap around himself in a sort of hug. It wasn't his doing.

 _Don't think about it now. It'll only make it hurt more._ One of his hands caressed his cheek as his fingers started to break away. _Just be here. With me. It's the only thing that matters now._

"Ch-chara…" Asriel choked. A tear came to his eye as he let the feeling in his chest bubble over. "You n-never ma-made any s-sense to me…" Asriel sniffled as more tears flowed, "Please never change…" Asriel flinched when another pair of hands wrapped around his waist.

"My child," managed the raspy voice of Asriel's mom through her own sobbing, "I am sorry." She tightened her grip around him, "I am so sorry…"

"Mom…" Asriel said. Then something else draped itself around Asriel. He could barely see, his vision was so skewed as his eyes began to loose form.

"Asriel," his father said, "I should have never done that to you. I should have never made you…" Asriel tried to reach out and touch him, but he wasn't sure if he even had an arm to do so.

"Mom… dad… I-I don't blame you. And Chara..." The warm feeling in his chest swelled. It was so comforting. Then his vision faded completely. He still barely felt some link to the world.

 _It's okay, Asriel,_ Their voice said. Asriel held onto it. In what was left of his dream-like vision, Asriel saw a vague form of his human friend. Asriel managed to sluggishly put together his own imaginary image of himself. Chara approached him, putting a hand on his cheek.

 _You're my brother, Asriel. I love you and I always will._

"Brother…" some part of Asriel said in disbelief, not even sure where his voice was. "That's right…I'm your brother, and you're my little sibling right?

The image of Chara smiled before the two forms pulled each other into a hug. They stayed, unmoving, basking in each other's presence before everything faded to a comfortable, blissful darkness.

* * *

Authors Note: I hoped you all liked the story. I'm going to write down my thoughts at the end of the epilogue. Thank you all for reading. Please enjoy the last little chapter to wrap things up.


	12. Epilogue

Part I: Toriel

Toriel couldn't stop running. Her mind wouldn't allow it. Her son's dust was still on her clothes. She was a murderer. She killed them both. They were children. Her own children.

Her vision was clouded with tears. Her feet ached badly after hours of endless running. She couldn't stop. Why did she have to do it? To them?

Her incoherent screaming echoed through the subterranean land as she ran, ran, ran away. Many times she saw an open chasm and the thought crossed her mind to jump. End it all. Suffer the same fate she inflicted onto her dearest.

Was it possible she could ever be redeemed? No. She was too vile for something like that. A person who uses poison. A coward's weapon. Chara, the sweet child, couldn't even see it coming.

Her mind wouldn't drag itself away from gazing over the abyss of insanity. Perhaps it never would. Forever shattered by the repercussions of her own actions.

But not all of her thoughts were completely lost. In that moment, the small part of her mind that still functioned vowed to protect any other human that might fall down into this savage place. The constant pain from that battle long ago would never go away, but she had to push it aside. She still knew her sins could never be cleansed away. In fact, they were all she had now.

Part II: Melusyne, Captain of the Royal Guard.

Melusyne was in her small, simple home, threading the leather straps through her plates of armor. She would be off to battle soon. Her newborn lay asleep in a comfortable bed of blankets inside a wicker basket.

She hoisted the armor into place, before sheathing her three swords into the scabbards. She was about to put her helmet on when something caught the corner of her eye. She put the helmet down and slithered over on her two serpentine tails.

Hands were randomly grabbing at the air from inside the basket. Melusyne reached out a finger, the baby grabbing onto it. Melusyne smiled. It quickly faded when there was a pounding on the door. She turned and spoke before the person could even say a word.

"I am still preparing for the battle ahead," she said in her commanding voice. "I will join you shortly. Dismissed." The lack of sound signaled the departure of the guard.

 _Battle._ Melusyne sighed. There was always the possibility she could never return. Some criticized her for having a child she might not be able to provide for in the future. Such was the case of the tragedy that befell the royal family. She looked down at the small creature, snug in its blankets. Just in case.

"It is possible we will not see each other again," she began, stating the facts, albeit with a certain tenderness that only a select few have seen, "So is the way of a warrior. It cannot be changed and it is what I must face day in and day out. I do this, not because it is the safe thing, but because it is the right thing. This kingdom and its inhabitants must be protected, no matter the cost." A sharp jolt pressed its way into Melusyne's missing fourth limb. The pain never really subsided after it was lost.

"But be warned, a warrior never lets her emotions cloud her judgement." She massaged the stump with one of her hands. "That leads to carelessness." She let go of it. "I tell you this now so that you might one day learn from my mistakes. You are going to be a strong leader when the day comes that I fall. Farewell, my sweet Undyne." Melusyne grabbed the helmet from the table, placed it on her head, and slid through the door.

Part III: Gaster, The Royal Scientist

Gaster didn't bother with the self-loathing of letting the loss of such a prime specimen haunt himself. It was inefficient. He had much work to do with what he had.

The solution gathered from the human was plentiful enough for what needed to be done. He reviewed his notes. The two creations were coming along just nicely. Both were designed with different heights in mind so as to test the new formula with different body types. One was small with thicker, rounder bone-like structures. The other was tall and thinner.

Soon they might just be, according to most definitions, alive. Part of Gaster's field of view made the chalk board more clear. It contained the most important equation to ever exist. Simply referred to as _'The Alpha Equation.'_ It took up the entire chalk board in its length, spanning multiple lines. It hypothesized the definition of what was commonly know as a soul. The entire existence of a living being condensed into cold hard numbers.

In theory of course. If the two models failed then that would mean the equation would be incorrect. However, Gaster had a hunch there would be little, if that, changes necessary to his calculations.

Gaster barely allowed himself the sentiment of using his own eyes. His vision faded in and out until the structure of his face had reconfigured itself enough for use of his "real" eyes. He looked up at the massive blueprint on the wall of the lab.

He had already thought ahead as to his next series of tests and experiments. He still had plenty of solution from the human specimen. Perhaps it was time to test its capabilities on a much larger scale.

Part IV: Asgore, The King

How long had it been since it happened? The day his entire family disappeared. Now all he could do was sit in a dusty throne inside a lifeless castle. Waiting for the day the day he often fantasized about when his family would reappear, as if by magic. The day he could be a father and a husband again. But in reality, there was no shining light to cut through the gray.

But Asgore had to be the king till the very end. His purpose in life wasn't to protect the people he cared about. No. He had already brought that dream crashing down with his actions. It happened because he was king.

All that was left was rules, order, and law. He didn't get up out of bed to greet his family, he did it to be read reports and messages. He didn't talk to others because he cared about them, he did it because he needed to relay orders.

If another human ever did fall, Asgore could take their soul and free his people. He wouldn't. Instead, he must lead a kingdom of blood and ruin. To quell the unending anger and hatred of a people he himself hated. They all deserved to be trapped down in this underground prison for all eternity. As the king, so too did he deserve this fate.

THE END

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Author's Closing Notes: It really does amaze me that we have come this far. I have the tendency to give up on things half way through. I knew I couldn't do that with _Hopes, Dreams and Dust_ because of all the support I had when writing this. I thank you all for your kind words and interest in the story. You really helped me get through this! Its also worth noting that I am not good at judging my own work so every time someone says something nice I literally can't believe it. Thank you all once again!

While I will likely not be continue to expand upon this world with future Underfell works, I still do have scrapped outlines and plans. I will be sharing those Ideas with my tumblr followers (mind the spacing): emeraldlazers . tumblr . com

I recommend you all follow me if you are fans of my works as I do have many future projects currently in development. While they may not be Underfell specifically, one of them is **Undertale** related. It is actually a fan game. I am also creating something completely original with the help of a friend. I am _very_ excited to share when the time comes!


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